Before and After
by JuggsGotYa
Summary: He was a mountain of man, but that was not what had left an impression on her. A story that explores the origins and theoretical future of Agent Maine.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is my first story, and it is basically my back story and theoretical future of Agent Main. Be sure to let me know what you think.

When she first saw him she was not that impressed. He stood over seven feet tall with massive shoulders and arms like tree trunks, his barrel of a chest would make an ox jealous. Strong was good but Carolina had seen large men burn out in training before their first week was out,she was sure he would not last. Much to her surprise the giant of a man had made it through the hellish experience of training and the selection process. The mountain of a man had caught her attention, but her interest was not piqued until she saw him in the final stages of the process that would decide who among the few remaining recruits would be allowed into the project. Of the five remaining hopefuls only one would be selected for the project. The five stood in an arena among a variety of weapons they would use to showcase their skill, strength, and versatility. They were all dressed minimally, no armor or protection against any attacks.

Apart from the mountain; as she had taken to calling him, there were two other men, one was of a large athletic build and wore a cocky look on his face, the other was a lanky looking grim faced youth that eyed the other candidates with predatory eyes. The two females standing opposite the mountain were almost the same in terms of their build, but their personalities were drastically different. One was bouncing from foot to foot eagerly anticipating the opportunity to show her skills, the other stood stoically eyeing the opposition with a cold calculating glare. Compared to the others more defined and athletic builds the mountain looked almost fat, and was sure to be quite slow. She did not give him much of a chance compared to the others, in contrast to how fast some the others would be, his size would mean nothing.

When they were give the signal to begin all of the candidates ran for a weapon, a staff, a sword, anything that would give them an edge. Much to her surprise the mountain dashed forward with an astonishing speed for a man of his size forgoing any weapon at all. With a powerful strike to the stomach followed up by a quick uppercut quickly eliminating energetic young woman as she hit the floor like a bag of sand. The other woman's stoic mask broke for a moment when she saw the power at which he had dealt with one of top cadets. She dealt a powerful overhead two handed strike with her staff. The wood met with his neck and he did not react, instead of flinching from pain he gripped the staff and tossed the weapon with woman attached across the arena like a rag doll. She righted herself and landed without issue but it had become clear that the mountain was more than a lumbering brute. Carolina now watch with a keen eye, this man just kept proving her wrong.

It became clear to Carolina that the tactics of the other three had changed. They were no longer concerned with one another for the moment, the main target was the giant that stood in the middle of the arena. The two other male candidates charged in unison hoping to take out their mutual threat. The lanky youth; with a staff in hand, leapt into the air weapon high overhead as his temporary ally charged head on with twin waster swords in hand. Their combined effort met with failure when their foe shrugged off the blows and garbed the larger of the two by face with a vice like grip and hefted him into the air with little effort and bashed him into the other attacker. The two bodies met with a loud thud as both men crashed to the floor.

The two recovered quickly and resumed their attack throwing any strategy to the wind in their desperate attempt to neutralize the beast that stood before them. Their strikes were ferocious but undisciplined and erratic. Any blow that landed on the body of their foe seemed to have little to no effect on the man. The assault lasted for several moments when in a flash the mountain of a man gripped the two men by their necks and smashed their skulls together rendering them unconscious. Carolina could have sworn she heard the man growl like an animal that had just snatched up his prey. But he was oblivious to the approach of final recruit. In the chaos of the fight the mountain had forgotten about the final female candidate.

With clean, precise, but powerful strikes she unloaded blow after blow onto her target. She delivered surgical jabs with her staff to his knees, ankles, shoulders, elbows, wrists, neck and the nerves on the inside of his thigh to break her target's stability. As she pressed her advantage on her much larger opponent her tactics became less conservative and she began to focus finishing her foe. Her staff began to spin and whirl as she struck him in the throat and face with large sweeping blows. Carolina watched impressed as the much smaller woman was overcoming the mountain of a man .

"She fights smart" she said to herself as she watched the other repeatedly struck him in his brows with intention of drawing blood to blind her opponent. When he raised his forearm to his face to wipe the blood away she made her final move.

With grace one would expect from a dancer she lept and spun gaining momentum and dealt a savage strike to the right temple of the mountain. There was a sickening crack and Carolina though for a moment that his neck had been broken, but to her surprise it was the attacker's staff. The blow had forced him onto his knee but had not finished him, the shocked look on the female recruits face was easily seen even from a distance.

With hopes of putting this to an end she charged once more, but this assault was sloppy by comparison. The remnants of her staff hurtled down towards his skull but the strike was halted. The strain on the young woman's face was clearly evident as she fought the iron grip of the mountain. For the second time in less than a minute a sickening crack echoed through arena, this time however the blow was delivered by a devastating uppercut that lifted his foe off the ground. Again displaying surprising speed for his size he gripped her ankle and slammed the stunned body of his opponent hard into the ground, this was followed by him tossing her to the side like child would do with a toy once he was bored of it. There was loud beep that signaled the end of the test, without so much as a grin the mountain walked from the arena cracking his neck. Against all her prediction this man had made it through all the test, training, and the selection process and would become the newest agent of Project Freelancer. This was one rookie she would have to keep an eye on.


	2. Chapter 2

Carolina made her way to the locker room with a single goal at the forefront of her mind. When she entered the area she found her mark. The mountain was stood tall at his locker changing from the training attire to something more appropriate for his meeting with the director. As she approached she could see the coils of muscle moving under his flesh with every movement no matter how minute. The first impression most would get from him would be a large overweight thug. But to the trained eye it was clear that he cared little about the "glamor" muscle so many men were concerned about, every ounce of muscle on him was focus on raw functional power. As he finished dressing himself Carolina spoke up.

"Hey" at the sound the mountain turned to face her.

This was the first time she had gotten a good look at the mountain. He was not what most woman would call attractive. While she would not call him ugly, his features were ferocious and he sported several scars across his face. His brow was pronounced and cast fierce shadow over steely eyes. His nose was relatively large and broad, almost like the nose one would expect to see on the face of a caveman or Viking. A strong jaw like an anvil had a long deep scar running up his cheek stopping a few inches beneath his right eye. These fierce features on his shaved head; which sat on a thick neck, created an intimidating presence.

"Those were some nice moves, you fight with the grace of a tank but you sure can take a hit like one"

"Thanks" was all he said in gravely voice giving her a curt nod.

Carolina raised an eyebrow, she was expecting more of a response than that usually the candidates that made the cut into the project were quite excited and often quite talkative, she recalled with smile thinking of York.

"Not a big talker huh?' she half questioned already knowing what the answer would be. She received the expected response of a shaken head as opposed to words. "So… the strong and quiet type, we don't have one of those yet, honestly I could use a lot less jabber from my teammates" she said jokingly while taking a seat on the bench behind him. Her comment earn a very quiet chuckle from the mountain, she smirked and pressed her conversational advantage "They give you your codename yet?"

"Maine" he grumbled, as he sat down next to her. She wasn't entirely surprised, there were a few case where an agent received their title before officially completing training, usually when they were pretty much guaranteed on beating out the other candidates; York, Wyoming, and herself were the few that came to mind, the Director must have seen his potential before the rest of them.

"What about your real name? You got one of those?" the question was more of a joke than a legitimate question, his reaction was not what he expected.

"No" he mumbled before setting to the task of tying his shoes. Carolina did not know how to respond to that so she just remained quiet for a few moments before replying

"Sorry" was all she could think of saying to him.

"Not your fault" he stated before closing his locker and turning to leave the locker room.

"I look forward to sparring with you Maine" she called after him as he left the locker room. He stopped for a moment and half turned towards her and gave her a nod.

* * *

As the weeks passed Carolina had begun to see more of Maine around the compound, she could tell by the way he held himself he was quickly becoming bored with the mundane training in the use of non-combat equipment and tours of the facility; which to be honest was frustrating her as well due to the fact that the whole operation would soon be moving onto the Mother of Invention, and she was eager to get a sparring match with the rookie. She wanted to see how he stacked up against a single; but far more experienced, opponent. She would finally get her chance a few days later.

The day started like many did, with Carolina eating breakfast in the chow hall when York walked over with his tray and took a seat across from her.

"How's it going Carolina, it feels like I haven't seen you in a week" he questioned her in a joking manner

"You've been on a mission for the past week, smart ass" she deadpanned in respond.

"Well that would explain that, so what have I missed"even though he smirked as he spoke, his question was genuine.

"Not much, the new guy is finally going to be allowed on mission, and you know what that means" she said with a devious smile.

York whistled "I feel sorry for him, with the joy of full freelancer privileges comes the burden of sparring with your fellow freelancers, and I know how much you like to test the new meat" he said in in joking manner.

"Ha-ha you are hilarious York" she responded her voice dripping in sarcasm. She knew she could be tough on the new recruits, but that was just the way it had to be, if you can't take the heat get out of the kitchen.

"Come on you have to admit you do tend to put the new recruits through the ringer" York spoke from experience, Carolina had bruised three of his ribs in their first match. But the two had become quite close after that match.

"Well I have to make sure that they can keep up with me" she responded with a smirk.

"All joking aside though have you been able to get a read on that guy? He's barley said three words to me". Poking the food on her plate for a moment as she thought of how to respond.

"He seems to be inhumanly strong and tough and he's built like an ox, but his personality is hard to read" she said simply. It was true, apart from the short talk they had shared they had not really spoken to one another.

"Well… no better way to get to know someone than to fight them" York spoke as he took a drink from his coffee. She nodded her head in agreement, she would talk to the Director later and set up for her match with Maine.

* * *

As Carolina entered the arena she noticed he was already there, out of his armor dressed as he was on the day she had first had seen him fight. She herself was dress similarly in a black tank top, sweatpants, and was barefoot. This was a raw test of their human physicality, no armor and no weapons.

"Glad to see you made it, I practically had to drag York here for our first match" she said smirking looking up at the observation deck where she saw York shaking his head. He did not respond but she did see a shadow of smile on normally grim face. "Hope you're ready to fight a real opponent, I won't hold back" she thought she heard him growl in in response but dismissed it as her imagination.

Both combatants took their stances and waited to sound of the starting bell. It seemed like hours before the bell sounded the beginning of the match, and as Carolina had predicted Maine charged full steam towards her. He lowered his shoulder and rammed her hard, but she was well prepared for the hit and blocked. Carolina was not prepared for the amount of force he delivered and was sent flying back. She maintained her balance and landed skidding back a few more feet before stopping. 'Shit he's not playing around' she thought to herself 'No more blocking, I can't keep taking hits like that'. Maine charged again this time unloading a flurry of savage hay makers, all of which Carolina managed to dodge with relative ease.

As his assault continue she analyzed his approach, he was fast for his size but this encumbered by the sheer amount of muscle his frame held, he would most likely be relying on wide strikes and grappling. With this in mind Carolina went on the offensive. She ducked under another of strike and delivered a precise kick to the back of his knees. With his balance lost Carolina quickly capitalized and lept up and struck him on both sides of his head; boxing his ears and disturbing his internal balance, followed up by savage kick to his sternum sending giant tumbling. He landed on his side facing away from her, as she approach to try end their match he quickly rolled over and tried to deliver a powerful hammer blow against his opponent. Carolina barley managed to dodge the strike; which had managed to crack to concrete floor of the sparring arena. This time she was sure she heard him growl as he pulled himself to his feet to continue their match. Carolina smirked, she knew he wouldn't disappoint her.

This time it was her turn to charge, she ducked under another strike and delivered a powerful elbow to his abdomen to drive the air from him lungs. As Maine gasped she dealt series of sever strike to his ribs with blinding speed. He lurched forward to try and grab his assailant, however his hands managed to only grip air as Carolina slipped just out of his reach only to jump forward and strike him hard between the eyes with her knee. As Maine stumbled back the pain registered in Carolina's hands and knee, it was nothing serious but there was a definite soreness that was not usually there after she hit someone 'Damn it, hitting him is like hitting a piece of iron'. She did not dwell on it for long though, Maine had already recovered and was charging again. Carolina almost sighed at him using the same tactic, but them he did something she would not have expected. Instead of trying to hit or ram into her, he slid trying to knock her feet out from under her. She leapt into the air easily dodging the attempted sweep, but quickly realized her mistake when she felt the vice like grip of Maine wrap around her ankle.

For the first time in a long time she felt helpless as Maine quickly righted himself into a standing position and went right into spinning Carolina around several time before throwing her across the arena like a rag doll. Pulling herself to her feet she heard the telltale pounding that signaled the charging Maine. He was nearly upon her before she realized it, she moved too late too fully doge one of his hay makers, as her head spun she felt one of sledgehammer fist connect with her abdomen and was certain he had crack a few ribs. She knew she had to act fast; this was the exact combo he used to eliminate the first girl in his entry match, so she struck out hard with her right. Her strike found it mark, while her kick did little damage to Maine it did manage to put distance between her and her foe. 'Shit I underestimated him' was all that ran through her mind as Maine continued brutal assault. Ignoring the pain in ribs she dodged his strike knowing the next landed hit would finish the match.

This was the first Carolina had been forced into the defensive in a sparring match, she would normally outclass anyone she came up against but this guy was different. He just seemed to shrug off any blow she managed to land on him, and she was starting to tire. It seemed are her martial arts training meant nothing against this mountain of a man. No she could beat him, she had tried to fight him like he was any other opponent, but there were no others like him. She needed to use his size against him, it was risky but it was the only option. She waited for the proper moment to present itself and it did. One of his rare strait right jabs flew past her head as she drifted to the side. Using his own momentum she spun around pulling his arm tight to her chest and slid smoothly up against him. She popped her hip into his pelvis and pulled his arm which intern dragged his body over her shoulder, even with his own momentum working for her it felt like trying to move a tank. When his body hit the floor she quickly spun on the balls of her feet and locked her feet together as she fell backwards pulling him into in arm bar. Trying to get his arm to straighten out was like trying to bend an I-beam with your bare hands. With sweat pouring down her brow she popped her hips once again, this time into his elbow and finally it gave out and she the arm bar locked in.

"It's over Maine submit before I break your elbow" she warned but he continued to struggle. He then did something she would not have even thought of, he was standing up with her latched to his arm. 'Shit…well I warned him' she thought herself as she applied the final amount of pressure needed, the sound of a breaking joint was painful to hear but she could also feel it as it snapped.

Carolina cringed slightly, but whatever pity she felt for Maine quickly evaporated when he violently swung his body and shook her from his right arm which not hung limply at his side. She heard him growl again and charge once more 'How the hell is he going to keep fighting with a broken elbow' but she did not dwell on it as Maine dropped his shoulder once more and tried to ram her once more, this time however she sidestep the charging juggernaut and delivered a violent axe kick to his temple trying keep him down for good. As he skidded on the floor she thought it was finally over, but she watched almost in awe as Maine struggled to get back onto his feet using his one good arm. He managed to get onto his feet and turned to face Carolina, he was bleeding profusely from his right temple where she had kicked him. The blood running into eye made it impossible for him to see out of it at the moment, but he held a determined look etched on his features, he was not going to give up.

Carolina realized at that point if she did not end this soon one of the might actually end up dead. This time she charged her foe hoping she would be able to end this quickly, with only one good arm his defensive option were extremely limited but she still had to proceed with caution, she could not afford to underestimate him again. Her strategy was to try and get behind him and get a blood choke hold in on him and knock him out as it seemed very unlikely striking would not work. As she closed in she saw his muscle tighten ready to strike out at her. Carolina faked left and when he struck out she dove passed his right side and quickly spun and jumped onto his back wrapping her right arm around his neck and placing her hand in the crook of her left elbow. As she tightened her arm around his thick neck she used her left arm to try and force his head forward the help apply more pressure. She wrapped her legs around his waist to avoid being thrown off by the thrashing that would soon occur.

As the pressure increased the blood flow through the arteries to his brain was cut off. Maine struggled to try and grab the young woman on his back but she held on tight. 'Just a few more seconds' she thought to herself as Maine tried desperately to free himself, but as the oxygenated blood in his brain ran out he began to slow his struggle. With one last effort he swung his one good arm back and managed to grip Carolina's trapezius muscle and gripped it hard. As his thumb dug under the muscle Carolina let out a gasp and bit her lower lip but did not release the hold. He gripped harder in the hopes of dislodging her, but she held fast. As Carolina began to taste blood in her mouth Maine's grip loosened and he began to fall backwards. Carolina's eyes shot open wide when she realized what was happening, before she could react they hit the floor with a load thud and she was now certain her ribs were now broken. She managed to dislodge herself from under Maine just as FILISS announced her the victor. Carolina smiled to herself, she certainly did not feel like she had won that fight.

Carolina turned to face Maine, he was just starting to regain consciousness. She walked over to him and offered him her hand.

"Good fight rookie". He eyed her questioningly for a moment before smirking and taking her hand as she helped him up and grumbled a simply.

"Thanks"

"Come on let's get you the medics" as they turned to leave the arena they noticed York walking in

"Ho-Ho-Holy Shit! I have never seen anyone put Carolina through the ringer like, good job man" he said cheerily give Maine a light punch in his good arm.

"Better watch yourself York or you might have to fight him next" Carolina responded jokingly

"No thanks I'm quite fond of living" he said with a smirk as the three of them headed to the infirmary.


	3. Chapter 3

The infirmary smelled heavily of disinfectant and medication, it was a smell Maine very familiar with. His particular method of fighting meant that more often than not he would end up spending time in this section of the base after a training or sparring session. All things considered he was doing rather well, the medics had patched him up and had said he would be back to 100% shortly. He clenched his right hand into fist testing it making sure it still worked like before, he grimaced at the pain that shot up his arm. He looked at the bed next to him where is opponent fared little better than he did, she had a compressive bandage wrapped around her torso to help with her cracked and broken ribs. At that moment they heard the door to the infirmary open and in walked York holding a camera.

"Well would you look at that, my two favorite wounded warriors are right where I left them" he said with smirk. His comment earned him glares from both Maine and Carolina.

"What's with the camera for York?" Carolina asked knowing his answer was going be either stupid or a smart ass comment.

"Well my dear Carolina I thought I would take a photograph to commemorate our new friendship with our dear companion Maine" he replied with a false tone of sophistication in his voice.

She sighed at his response, she should have expected something like this from him. He was always trying to; as he put it "create memories". Out of the corner of her eye she saw Maine stand up and stride over to York. Before he could say anything Maine punched him hard in his left eye with his good hand.

"AHHH, what the hell was that for you psycho!" York shouted at Maine holding his injured eye "Oh this is definitely gonna be bruised" he moaned in pain.

"Can't have you be the only pretty looking one" Maine said with a smirk on his face.

Behind them they heard snicker that evolved into a snort of laughed, that was shortly followed a groan of pain. They turned to see Carolina trying hard not to laugh so she would aggravate her damaged ribs. At this sight York started to snicker at both her misfortune and his own as well. Looking at the other two he supposed he couldn't really complain about a black eye, Carolina had given him worse when he really annoyed her.

"Okay fair enough big guy, but you're gonna owe me for giving me this shiner" York said at the smirking Maine, who simply grunted in response.

York found a spot to set is camera for a group photo of the three battered freelancers. The look on Carolina's face was less than thrilled at the prospect. Regardless York set the timer and walked over and knelt down between the two.

"You're serious about this?" Carolina asked in a dishearten tone "We look like we've just been in a bar fight" she said only half trying to convince him to back off.

"Exactly, I have never seen you get anything close to a serious injury, and the Maine over there is practically a human tank; not to mention he's actually smiling for once, I don't think I'll ever get a chance to get a pic with both of you looking so human" he responded still smiling at the two of them. His response earned a snort from both of them.

"Fine, just hurry up" Carolina finally relented.

"Awe, what's wrong Carolina, you don't want others to that pretty face of yours with a big welt on it?" York's teasing earned him a glare from Carolina. He just snickered as the timer counted down "Okay everyone smile" he said giving a thumbs up to the camera. With beep followed by bright flash Carolina's torture was over.

York stood up and grabbed his camera, and flipped it over to examine how it had come out. His smile turned into a laugh as he examined it. Maine held his animalistic smirk on his face, while Carolina's face was half-way between a sneer and a smile. He shook his head, this was not exactly what he had in mind when he came here.

"A sneer is not a smile Carolina, let's try one more" He said knowing he was pushing luck, but with her bandaged up he was feeling a little daring than normal.

"Nope, one is all you get take it or leave it" the tone in her voice left no room for argument. H

"Okay, Okay… You know I prefer it this way anyhow, it shows the real you" he said as he dodge a pillow thrown by Carolina.

"Don't you have anything better to do than bother me?" she asked getting exasperated with York's pestering.

"Alright I know when I'm not wanted, I'll let you two have some alone time" he responded waggling his eyebrows. This intern earn him another pillow being thrown at his head, and struck him in his bad eye.

"It's not like that you ass!" she shouted after him as he was leaving the infirmary holding his bruised eye.

"Whatever you say Carolina! ... I'll see you guys tomorrow when they let you out!" he shouted back from the opposite end of the room, he was still smirking as he left annoying Carolina to no end. She looked across from her where Maine wore a confused look on his face.

"Don't pay any attention to him, York's just being a dick" she said as she got up to retrieve her pillows from the floor.

"Is he always like that?" Maine inquired, already speaking much more frequently than he was comfortable.

"Sometimes, but you get used to him, and he will always have your back, there is no one else here I'd rather have with me in a fire fight" she responded setting her pillows back the uncomfortable hospital mattress that would be her bed that night.

"Pretty close huh" Maine's voice almost sounded almost dejected, but Carolina dismissed the thought.

"What's up? You're awfully talkative today, the first time we met you literally said six words to me" she inquired about the change in his demeanor.

"Just tired" was all he gave as a response as he laid down and turned off his bed side lamp and muttered a quick "Night" before closing his eyes.

"Okay…Night, I'll see you in the morning" she was not entirely satisfied with his answer, but she tired too and was going to leave the issue alone. She just hoped that he would be better in the morning.

The two soldiers awoke early the next morning, although they were not in their normal quarters their rituals were the same as always. They washed themselves the best they could; given the restriction placed upon them by their injuries. As Carolina entered the small personal washroom provided the patients she took stock of her injuries in the mirror.

The bruise on her cheek had worsened considerably in the night, but that injury seemed tame compared to the large hand shaped mark on her trapezius where Maine had managed to get a grip on her. She would have been impressed if it didn't hurt so much. These two eyesores coupled with her busted ribs, bruised knuckles, and strained ligaments in her knee; courtesy of Maine's forehead, left her looking very much the worse for wear. As she stepped under the hot water she let out a long sigh as the heat soothed the soreness in her muscles. Although she greatly enjoyed the heat of the shower, she did not make it a habit to take very long. She excited quickly, dried herself off and got dressed in what she referred to as "leisure clothes", there was no way she was putting on armor for a while.

As she re-entered the main medical bay she noticed Maine walking out of one of the other washrooms. As he pulled his t-shirt over his head she noticed the bruises than riddled his torso from her strikes. It may sound cruel but she was almost glade to see her assault had at least damaged her opponent, even if it did seem to bother him. As Maine put his sling back on they both turned to the sound of an opening door.

"Rise and shine…oh you're already up, well that takes away from my morning fun. Anyhow I came to escort you two breakfast, I wouldn't want you guys to be mobbed by your adoring fans" York said cheerfully as he approached the two.

"What the hell are you babbling about?" Carolina inquired for both herself and Maine.

"Well, after your match word spread throughout the compound. Carolina faced off against the Giant Maine. He was ten feet tall and was 700 pounds of raw muscle, and he almost took out the best agent in the program" he spoke the last part as if he was announcing for a sideshow.

"Good lord are they really talking like that?" Carolina said in an exasperated tone as she face palmed.

"Well… like two guys were talking like that, but yeah the whole compound is buzzing about your match" he responded in a very matter of fact manner.

"Shit… well let's just get going and get this over with, Maine stick close you've never had to deal with "Fan boys" before, they can be ruthless" she spoke the last part with a slight smirk. Maine quirked an eyebrow in confusion, but decided he heed her advice. They left the infirmary and prepared to run the gauntlet, it was going to be a long morning and they hadn't even had breakfast yet.


	4. Chapter 4

The walk to the mess hall was as chaotic as Carolina had expected. While none of the other agents bothered her and Maine, a great deal of the "Fresh Faced" rookies were swarming around them like buzzing flies. Some of the veterans tried to stem the tide, but most of them just watched with amused looks on their faces. Carolina glared daggers at those who dared get close enough to bother her.

After reaching their destination with relatively ease; Maine almost threw a new mechanic through a door, they set to the task of acquiring their morning meals. York and Carolina watched in mild amusement as Maine tried his hardest to balance two trays stack high with food with his one good arm.

"Let me help ya big guy" York offered taking one of the tray from Maine before he spilled his meal everywhere, to which Maine gave a grateful nod.

The trio found a table in the corner of the hall, trying to avoid any unwanted attention as much as possible. After a few quiet moments they were interrupted by the voice of another freelancer.

"Holy Crap! Carolina is that you? Geez you look like you got hit by a train" the inquiring an obnoxious voice belonging to agent South Dakota.

"Hello South… Maine this is agent South Dakota and her twin brother North Dakota, North , South this is our new agent Maine" Carolina said in a flat tone gesturing to each of them in turn, before introducing Maine.

"Good to meet you Maine" North said extending his left hand for an awkward handshake while South seemed completely oblivious to the new agent, still intent on finding out what had happened to the project's number one agent.

"Yeah that's cool, so Carolina I reiterate, you look like you got hit by a train what the hell happened?" South inquired once more ignoring the slightly annoyed look Maine gave her.

"Well, that "train" you're asking about would be Maine here" York answered for her with a tone a little to chipper for Carolina's liking.

"Well no shit" South said finally taking the time to look at Maine. Her eyes widened almost imperceptibly when she took note of the massive wall of muscle before her. "So you're the one who put Carolina through her paces huh?" She said sitting down across from Maine placing her helmet and tray on the table.

"Still lost" was his only response as he set tucked into his mountain of food not even bothering to look up at her. He didn't seemed too bothered by the fact he had lost, he was just stating a fact.

"Yeah, but you're the first one to do that to her, she usually walks all over us in sparring matches" South responded gesturing to Carolina. Maine didn't respond he just shrugged.

"How kind of you South, it's nice to know you care" Carolina said sarcastically, but South had no response she just rested her chin in her hand and started poking at her food stealing an occasional glance at Maine.

Before anyone could speak again there was the telltale crackle over the intercom that always came before an announcement

"I need Agents Maine and Carolina to report to my office immediately" the director southern drawl echoed through the mess hall. It was never a good sign when the director made an announcement himself, and everyone at the table looked at the two agents with concern. Carolina simply stood up, turned to the exit and began to walk out, her face was devoid of emotion. Maine on the other hand growled in annoyance at not getting to finish his meal and shoveled as much bacon into his mouth as he could before standing and following Carolina.

"Hey, good luck you guys" North said sympathetically as they left the table, he knew how tough the director could be. Yet despite his concern for his friend he couldn't help but notice his sister's eye following Maine.

"You need a napkin South?" York said with a mouth full of food, but the laugh in his voice was still evident.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" She questioned back confused by his inquiry.

"He's saying he saw you drooling over the new guy" Her brother laughed as he watched her blush.

"Shut the hell up … pricks" South mumbled the last part to herself as she tried to focus on her food and not the snickering of her brother and York.

* * *

"Three bruised ribs, two broken, a strained knee ligament, deep bruising of left trapezoid, a broken right elbow, a partially collapse trachea, a mild concussion, along with a slew of other minor injuries between the two of you. At what Point did this sparring match get so far from you're control Carolina?" the directors voice was even, almost calm sounding, but both agents heard the edge in his voice. When she did not answer he applied more pressure "Well Agent?! You were the senior Agent in the match you should have stopped this before it got so out of hand" his voice cut her deeper than any knife could. But before she could answer a growl from here left drew both their attention.

"My fault" was all Maine said, but it was enough to draw the Director's attention away from Carolina.

"What was that Agent?" The Director asked his voice as calm as ever.

"I said it was my fault, I kept escalating my attack and did not surrender when Agent Carolina locked my arm, she warned me what would happen and I did not listen. It got out of hand because of me…My fault" It was the most the other two had ever heard Maine speak at one time.

"And what; may I ask, caused you to so willing put yourself and Agent Carolina in a situation where injury was so certain?" his voice was so calm, and yet so powerful it made both agents feel like small children being scolded.

"Sir, if I may…" Carolina started but was cut off.

"No, you may not" he said sharply causing Carolina to back down, he then turned his attention back to Maine. "Well Agent I'm waiting"

"I wanted to win" Maine spoke with conviction and confidence and this seemed to cool the Director, if only slightly.

"We all have the desire to be the best, Agent, in fact it is quality we seek in our top agents and I can respect that desire. But you acted foolishly and now our best Agent is on forced medical leave, and now you will have to be kept from field even longer than anticipated. Do you realize how much damage you have done to our cause?" he said turning his back on the two of them and sitting down at his desk.

"Yes Sir" were the only words to come from Maine's mouth.

"Very well, what's done is done, I expect you two to act more intelligently in the future, and I sincerely hope we do not have this problem again, have I made myself clear?" they weren't sure if he was trying to be condescending or not, but his point was made.

"Yes Sir" both said in unison

"Good, you are dismissed" his steely voice seemed to echo in their minds as they left.

* * *

"What the HELL WAS THAT?" Carolina shouted at Maine once they had gotten a decent distance away from The Director's office.

"What?" Maine asked in a confused tone.

"Why did you take the wrap for the whole thing? You know it was just as much my fault! I don't need you to protect me, I can take care of myself!" she let out an exasperate sigh before continuing "You know you're probably going to be on his shit list now, do you have any idea how much of a hell he can make your life?" she shouted at the giant of man in front of her, she was so angry she didn't notice the slight look of hurt in his eye.

"Don't understand" he said simply before turning to walk away.

"What don't I understand?!" she shouted after him but he did not turn around, he just continued his march down the hall away from her. He passed by York; who was on his way to check on them, Carolina heard him ask Maine how it went. Even from the fair distance away she heard him growl at York before throwing a punch into the steel wall to his left leaving a large dent in the metal.

"Well he's taking it well, what the hell happened?" York inquired as he reached Carolina.

"The director was not pleased with our sparring match, he said we both took too much damage, now we're both on medical leave" she said simply.

"Is that it? I mean it sucks that you won't be in field but if It were me I'd almost be happy for the time off" he responded in almost a joking manner.

"Well, Maine took it upon himself to take blame for the whole incident, and I blew up on him" she said the last part in a regretful tone.

"He didn't take it too well huh... I wonder" York said more to himself than to her.

"You wonder what?" Carolina inquired almost aggressively.

" It's nothing, just a passing thought" he said in a calm tone.


	5. Chapter 5

Two weeks, two god forsaken weeks of not being able to train or go on missions. She had read every book she owned, and watched the few movies she owned. York and the Dakotas were out on a missions, and she still hadn't spoken to Maine since their meeting with the director. Carolina was starting to get stir crazy. She had half a mind to start exercising against the doctor's orders, but she knew if she did that there was a good chance she would make things worse and be out even longer. Carolina stood up with a sigh and opted to take a walk before she lost her mind.

As she walked the compound with no particular goal in mind, she found herself outside a room with "AGENT MAINE" scrawled across the door. She stopped for a moment, thinking about whether or not she should try and talk to Maine about what had happen. But instead she decided to keep walking. Carolina eventually found herself in the mess hall and decided she might as well grab any early lunch. With no one else around she quickly finished her meal resumed her wandering.

Once again Carolina found herself out Maine's room without even realizing her feet had carried her there. But she once again opted to not confront Maine and continued her mindless trek. This time she found herself in the rec room. It was one of the few luxuries they had at compound, a place to unwind and spend time with fellow agents. The whole room felt lonely, no agents occupied the many seats of the couches, and the few entertainment devices that the room held lay untouched. This was not uncommon, even when most of the agents were back at base this room was rarely used, they were all to focused on training and trying to best everyone else.

As Carolina continued her aimless meandering about the compound she found herself outside Maine's room for the third time in less than an hour.

"Stupid conscious" she mumbled as she conceded to herself. She knew she would have to talk to him sooner or later, and it look like it would be sooner rather than later.

She cautiously approached the other agent's door and raised her hand and knocked softly three times almost hoping he didn't hear it, or that he wasn't in his room. There no response from the other side at first, she turned getting ready to just go back to her room when she heard an extremely soft sound from the other side of the heavy metal door. She almost cursed herself for knocking. She turned back around and heard the sound again, it was a slow methodical high pitched scratching. As she listened closer she could almost make out a very low voice, although she could not discern any recognizable words. There was no mistaking that there was someone in Maine's room, and given his particular nature there was little doubt about who it was.

Taking a deep breath Carolina decided to go for broke and just go in and talk to him. She wasn't afraid of Maine, but the idea of apologizing for snapping at him made her nervous. She knew it was the right thing to do, but she always had a problem admitting when she was wrong. Grasping the handle firmly she slowly pushed the door open and stepped into Maine's sanctuary.

When she entered her eyes immediately fell on the Mountain of a man she had been seeking. His eyes were staring intently at the blade of a bowie knife he was sharpening slowly and with great care. He was completely engrossed with his task, this coupled with earphones he had on it was not surprise he hadn't responded to her knocking. She was about to say something to make her presence known when she heard something she couldn't help but snicker at. To her great surprise she heard the deep mumblings that were undoubtedly the sound of the Agent before her singing to himself. She just made out the words "So rock me momma like a wagon wheel" and at this her snickering stop and she out right laughed in amusement.

The moment the sound left her throat Maine froze and then slowly looked up at Carolina. She had to hand it to him; if she had caught York singing he probably would have sputtered and probably died of embarrassment, but Maine just stared at her, his face calm and betraying almost nothing. As she stared back at him she thought she saw the faintest hint of a blush of embarrassment, but it faded so quickly she thought she must have imagined it. There was stubble on his face and his head where he not shaven in a few days. But apart from his scruffiness; which she had to admit suited him rather well, he looked well for the most part.

The two of them were silent for a few moments, neither one of them able to think of a way to break the awkward moment that had been forged between them. After what had seemed like an eternity Carolina broken the silence between them.

"So….Country music huh? I wouldn't have pegged you for the type" she spoke slowly and awkwardly not sure if she had made things worse or not. But Maine just shrugged as he sheathed his knife.

"I like what I like" he said simply, there was not a hint of anger or embarrassment in his voice, he was just stating a simple fact. With the ice broken Carolina got down to brass tax, she had come here for a reason and it was not a discussion on music genre.

"Look Maine… I came here to apologize for how I acted the other week, I know you just looking out for me and I shouldn't have snapped like that and…well…I'm sorry" she finished awkwardly shifting from foot to foot. This was not a situation she fond of being in, to her admitting she was wrong was almost like admitting to a weakness, and despised any sign of weakness in herself.

For a while he just stared at here with that maddeningly neutral expression on his face. He shifted so he was sitting upright and broke his gaze with her before he finally spoke.

"It's okay" he responded in his true fashion, never saying more than what needed to said.

"So, we're good?" She asked slightly unsure it had really been that easy. When he gave her a nod she let out breath she did not know she was holding. She was glad he didn't seem to be the type to hold a grudge. "Soooo…how's the elbow feeling?" she asked trying to break the tension that still hung in the air.

Maine grimaced as he stretched his arm out and his elbow gave a sickening cracking sound but his arm remained steady. He let out a breath and gave a slow nod, it was clearly still painful to move but it was healing at a steady pace.

"I didn't beat you up too much did?" she teased him with a smirk on her face.

Maine returned the smirk back at her before slowly raising his good arm and lightly beat his chest before responding with a simple.

"Too Tough"

Carolina laughed as the tense air finally evaporated.

"I will give you that, built like a God damn tank"

Both of them laughed at her comment and continued their conversation. It evolved from one topic to another with no real cohesive train of thought. Carolina did most of the talking as Maine listened, he did laugh when she joked and answered when she asked a question but for the most part he let her lead their talk, and he was just fine with that.

After a few hours of enjoying each others company a thought occurred to Carolina, one that had slipped her mind before due to her nervousness about apologizing to Maine, and even now she was hesitant to bring it up.

"Hey Maine?" she spoke in a slightly curious tone as he looked over to acknowledge her. "The other week you said something to too me… what exactly did you mean when you said that I "don't understand" at this she saw his eyes widen almost imperceptibly and his body go rigid, and was sure she saw the faintest tint of color in his cheeks this time. He faced away from her and nervously cleared it throat, as he opened his mouth to answer there was a knock at his door. The person who knocked did not wait for an answer and just let themselves in, had this been any other point in time Maine might have been aggravated, but at this point he was just happy for a distraction.

"Hey big guy, just thought I'd check in on ya, by the way have you seen…." York's sentence was cut short when he took notice of the two in front of him. "Well that answers that question, I'm not interrupting anything am I?" he joked with the two of them with a smirk plastered on his face.

"HaHa it just doesn't get old for you does it, just keep cracking wise and one day it's going to get you into trouble" Carolina responded standing up from her seat "So how did the mission go? You and the twins make it back without any trouble?"

"Well … you know how South gets, but yeah we got in and out without too much trouble, anyhow I stopped by to see if you and the big guy wanted to come get dinner with the twins and I" York offered.

"Sure, how about you Mai…" she was interrupted when she turn to address when she found the bottom of the giant's chest level with her eyes "Geez your move quiet for such a big guy" her voice half surprise and half mirth "I'll take that as a yes" she said with a slight smirk, and a nod was all she got in response. As Carolina walked past York noticed Maine's eyes followed her as she left. He caught the larger man's eye and gave him a quick wink accompanied by a sly smirk, to which Maine just scowled.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Finally an update, be sure to let me know what you think.**

This mission had really gone to hell in a hand basket, it was supposed to be a simple black op, get in, get the information, and get the hell out of dodge. But instead of a rag tag group of insurrectionists they had walked into an extremely well equipped and heavy guarded facility. With only herself, Maine, and the new guy Washington their objective would be near impossible for them to reach. But Carolina was not going to let some bad Intel put a blemish on her otherwise pristine record. The plan was the same, the number of soldiers and how well they were equipped did not change that.

As they moved farther into the compound, things went from complicated to outright chaotic. Washington had accidently announced their presence to the enemy with an extremely load sneeze, Maine and Carolina slowly turned to face their fellow agent. The air was quiet and full of tension, time seemed to slow down as the enemy trained their eyes on the freelancers in the courtyard they were crossing; Washington had chosen the worst possible time to blow what little cover they had, the whole courtyard reverberated with the sound of insurrection flipping the safety off their battle rifles. A moment later the thunderous roar of gunfire filled the area, the freelancer trio dove behind an armored car.

"Way to go rookie" Maine snapped at Washington.

"I'm sorry it snuck up on me!" He cried back desperate to defend himself.

"Knock it off you two, we have to readjust our plan. Maine and Washington you run distraction in the court yard, keep them busy I'm going to access the building from the side. It's going to take longer than our original plan, so don't hold back if you can wipe them out it'd be great" Carolina said the last part with an edge of sarcasm, but Maine just smirked behind his golden visor as he pulled out two grenades.

"Get ready to run" was all the warning he gave as he pull the pins and lobbed the explosives over their armored cover, they landed neatly in the bed of a truck loaded with several fuel barrels, the resulting explosion thundered through the court yard and turned it into a fiery bedlam. With all eyes trained on the monster getting ready to tear into their ranks Carolina activated her enhancements and was off sprinting past to mayhem towards her goal.

As Carolina left the battle field Maine cracked his neck got ready to cut loose, he quickly grabbed a flaming barrel and hurled it into a small group of startled soldiers. Moving swiftly he snatched up a belt of grenades as well as a semi-automatic shogun from the fallen men, with a savage grin plastered on his face, he off to do what he was best at.

Most of the men before him didn't have time to react when he started his assault, moving and firing with precise and deft actions Maine quickly picked off those unfortunate enough to be near him. He had a brutal and efficient not wasting a single bullet, as he drew closing to the bulk of soldiers assembled he brought his shotgun up and tore through them like they were tissue paper.

However the shock of the sudden assault wore off and the insurrectionist rallied and began to fight back against the freelancer approaching them with ill intent. As they began to fight back Maine's mindset shifted from direct attack to a more mobile version. He sprinted and slide behind an outdated looking tanks popping up periodically to take pot shots at the forces before him. While behind his cover Maine had a moment to breath and scan his surrounds. Taking note of scaffolding that rimmed the courtyard, he pulled the pins from two of his pilfered grenades and lobbed the explosives from behind his cover and with burst of speed he ran and leapt grabbed onto the railing of his target and with little effort hauled his massive frame onto the scaffolding.

Maine quickly emptied his shotgun into the offending forces before him before pitching the now empty weapon at some unfortunate soul. The weapon collided with the man's visor and punch a hole clean through it and before his body even hit the floor Maine had snatched his rifle from him and began to once more rain death down on the men in to courtyard, his task was made a great deal easier now that he had gained the high ground.

As the enemies before his dwindled so did his ammo, before long his rifles were out of bullets and resorted to using hiss side arm, and with almost a wicked pleasure he drew his custom bowie knife from its scabbard on his chest. A tungsten carbide blade; a great deal heavier than steel but much stronger, to man like him it felt like a feather in his grasp.

With true aim and a swift hand Maine continued to cut through his foes. A bullet through the visor, a blade up under the armpit and into the heart, the whole thing was a savage dance to the massive freelance. When he finished with the man before him, he noticed a sniper across the courtyard with their sights trained on him. There was only time for a single thought 'Shit' before the loud ring of a high caliber sniper round sung through the air and the sniper dropped. At that moment he heard a voice in his earpiece.

"I got your back big guy" Washington spoke almost cheerfully as he fired again and again picking off those unfortunate to come across his sights.

"Good work" Maine responded simply before setting back to work clearing the courtyard.

* * *

As Carolina sprinted through the halls of the compound, she was slightly disconcerted with how little resistance she had met on her way to her objective. That was until she heard yet another explosion from outside and the yelling of insurrection followed by an announcement over the intercom system calling for all available troops the court yard. She couldn't help but smirk at the idea of Maine single handedly putting down a whole base of insurrectionist.

After a few minutes of sprinting through the winding corridors of the enemy's base she found her target. A control room guarded by only two soldiers; for moment she thought it odd before remembering the mayhem going on outside, with little effort she dispatched the two guards before approaching the large panel before her and plugging the drive to transfer the data they had come for.

While she waited her gaze was drawn to the security monitors before her. The screens showing the hall of the base were completely empty, while by stark contrast the cameras with a view of the outside of the base were bursting with chaos as she watch as Maine and; much to her surprise, Washington made quick work of the insurrectionist. Before long it looked as though the entire base had been cleared of hostiles. Once the transfer had been complete Carolina quickly grabbed the hard drive and made for the exit, while Maine's distraction had done exactly what they needed it also meant reinforcements would likely be inbound soon. Carolina's suspicions were confirmed when she heard Maine's gravelly voice in her ear.

"Carolina one of the insurrectionist was able to get a distress call out, they have a gunship inbound we need to get out now" while his voice betrayed no discernable levels of stress, Carolina knew Maine well enough to know when he was concerned.

"Roger that Maine, I'm on my way out now" she doubled her pace as she responded and quickly made her way out.

She was no longer concerned with stealth as she made her way back to the courtyard. Before long her goal was in sight and her legs carried her even faster than before. However in her haste she neglected to check the area before sprinting into the open area. There was a distant sound of sniper round being fired, and she felt as though she was hit by a trunk. It took her a moment to realize that Maine had tackled her and she had not taken a sniper round. Washington's own rifle rang out as he returned fire and took out enemy sniper.

"Thanks Maine I owe you" she said as they both stood up and he nodded in response before they heard Washington speak.

"Well guys I've got some bad news…" he stared but was cut off by the sudden roar of a gunship approaching them, following by the scream of four mounted chain guns trained on the freelancer.

The three soldiers quickly took cover behind the same tank Maine had used early. With the three of them pinned down Carolina decide whether they should try and run for it or try and take out the gunship before them. Neither option was too appealing but they were left with few options.

"Maine, Wash can you draw their attention…I have a plan" she shouted over the roar of gunfire.

The other freelancers nodded Maine stood up and climbed atop the tank and with a mighty pull he tore the roof door off the tank and stood before the gunship firing at them with a scavenged handgun gun using the tank door as makeshift shield. With all the guns trained on the massive freelancer Carolina once again activated her armor and sprinted off to the side of the building.

Swiftly she climbed the side of and began to quickly run along the rooftop. As she ran he chanced a glance back a Maine. The combined force of four heavy machine guns was starting to tear through the heavy tank door. But despite the amount of force of Maine held his ground and was not driven back; the image invoked in Carolina's mind of a knight facing a dragon, but she dispelled the thought, she had a mission to do.

While the gunners on the ship were distracted Carolina leapt from the roof of the compound and drover her knife into the steel haul. The pilot must have heard her as the ship started to rock as he tried to shack her off, but the efforts did them no good as she pulled herself up onto the top of ship and activated the magnets in her boots. Acting quickly she drew two grenades and pulled the pins, and with an almost carefree attitude she tossed them into intakes of the engines before hoping off and landing before she sprinted towards Maine gesturing for him to take cover.

The moment they were behind cover the gunship went down in flames behind them. The resulting crash ejected an enormous amount of heat and shrapnel. They didn't take the time to survey the damage, more soldiers were likely inbound and they were not about to stick around. As they ran to their extraction point Carolina put out the call.

"Four Seven Niner we need extraction, we have encountered hostiles with reinforcements in bound" her voice calm and even.

"Roger that Carolina we will be ready when you arrive"

The three of them sprinted full tilt towards their destination when they heard the roar of another gunship inbound. As they ran they once again heard the sound of a sniper rifle followed by a scream from Washington.

"I'M HIT! I"M DOWN" he shouted as he fell to the ground. Without hesitation Maine grabbed the back of his armor and through him over his shoulder as he continued to sprint.

"Where you hit rookie?" he inquired to the injured solider draped over his shoulder.

"THEY SHOT ME IN THE ASS" he screamed in distress, and Maine couldn't help but chuckle a little that this fact "IT'S NOT FUNNY"

Before Washington could say anything else another bullet whizzed past the fleeing trio as they leapt over various obstacles on their escape route. Another clipped Maine's helmet and he let out a growl of aggravation, it was taking a lot of self-control for him not to drop Wash and try and take out the offending sniper.

They came to a steep hill and without missing a beat they leapt and slid down the incline that lead to a clearing below were their ride would be waiting. Sure enough the ship was there idling waiting to extract them. Just as they reach the ship they heard more shots being fired behind them. Without delay they boarded and Maine drop Washington without ceremony.

"Let's get out here there hot on our tail" Carolina's voice was slightly elevated but she managed to remain composed.

"Sure enough, strap in kiddies this is going to be a little rough" Four Seven Niner said in her normal tone as the engine roared, the moment they were all secured they took off like a shot. The ship rattled at the sudden jolt of speed as they approached escape velocity, but before long the ride smoothed out and while they were not entirely out of danger they could start to relax. Once they reached orbit Carolina unbuckled herself and went to the control panel at the front of the ship and sent out a call to the director.

"Director sir this is agent Carolina reporting in, our mission was successful, we obtained the intel and we are inbound back to base." There was a moment of silence on the other end before the director responded in his normal drawl.

"Well done Carolina, you have met all my expectations, I will see you when you get back for a full debriefing"

"Thank you sir, Carolina out" she replied evenly, she was not sure whether or not she should have brought up the bad intel, but had decided it could wait until they got back to base. After turning of the radio, she went back to her seat and was getting ready to try and relax when she noticed a stream of crimson coming from Maine's side and she quickly stood up and went over to examine it.

"Maine your hit, when did you…the sniper, you took the round for me when I left the compound" she said sounding guilty recalling when Maine had talked her earlier. Regaining herself she delivered a hardy punch to his shoulder "I told you before that I don't need you to look after me, you're lucky you didn't get yourself killed" she said in a huff, but Maine just chuckled.

"Too tough" he said a grin on his face as he lightly beat his chest with one hand. This earned a small smirk from Carolina. Slowly she stood up and addressed their pilot.

"Alright, let's get back to base before these two idiots bleed to death"

"Roger that captain" Four Seven Niner responded with a hint of sarcasm in her voice as they head back to headquarters.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Another chapter, I tried to go a different route with this one, be sure to let me know what you think.**

Carolina's gait was swift but relaxed as she made her way out the infirmary after checking in on the rookie. Washington's wound had been embarrassing but luckily nothing serious, he would be out of commission for a while but he would make a full recovery. She did not let her thoughts dwell on the rookie for too long however, she had something to do and she would not let herself be delayed any longer.

She stopped briefly by her bunk to retrieve what she needed before making her way towards her destination. It was these brief moments of relaxation between missions that she cherished with her teammates, it was this time that reminded them all that they were not simply machines of war, and that they were indeed still human.

Upon reaching her goal she knocked on the door twice more out of habit than anything before simply entering the room.

"Okay guys I've got the scotch…hey where are the others?" she inquired seeing only Maine before her. York and the Dakotas were supposed to meet up with them after they had debriefed with the director for their usually post mission tradition of drinks and ribbing. It wasn't much but it kept them close to one another.

"Just heard, technical problems, probably won't be back from their assignment for another twenty four hours" Maine's tone was even, but she could hear the slight disappointment in his voice. Although she knew he would never admit it, Carolina knew Maine had grown quite fond of the other three freelancers.

"Well shit, I guess that plan's out the window sooo… I guess it's just you and me" she tossed him one of the bottles as she spoke; which he caught easily in his massive hand, eyeing her with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't want to wait?" he inquired simply.

"Nope, that mission was a pain in my ass and I need a drink" she spoke almost dismissively as she opened her own bottle and took a swig. With a grin on his face Maine mimicked her actions.

It was unrefined and to a normal human it would have seemed insane to consume scotch whiskey like these two were, but with artificially augmented biology their metabolisms made quick work of the alcohol and it took a lot more than a few beers to get freelancers buzzed, and the high alcohol content of scotch seemed to do the trick, plus it had the added bonus of being Carolina's favorite drink. She extremely glad it was her turn to pick, after that mission she didn't feel like downing the strait vodka Maine seemed to enjoy so much.

After a few moments of drinking in silence both of the freelancers began to loosen up. Carolina dropped down with thump onto Maine's recliner that sat next to his bed. While she enjoyed the silence it wasn't the same as when the others were there. They would normally swap stories about how their assignments had gone, poke fun at one another; she could only imagine how the others would have reacted to the rookie getting shot in his ass, and she smirked at the thought.

"So…what do you want to do big guy, we can't swap stories since we were both there…you got a movie you wanna watch or something?" she offered her suggestion not sure if Maine actually owned any form of entertainment for himself apart from the music he listened to when he exercised and worked on his weapons.

She swore she saw a ghost of smile on his face as he stood up and walked over to a cabinet and retrieved a disk that he tossed to her. She caught the projectile easily despite her slightly elevated blood alcohol content and read the label.

"Robocop huh… country music and classical movies, you just keep surprising me Maine" her tone was joking as she stood to place the disk into the player thinking to herself for a moment how odd it was Maine actually owned on a physical format, but the inconsequential thought pasted just as quickly as it came as the two theme sat down to enjoy the film.

* * *

"Nice shooting son, what's your name?"

"Murphy"

With that the credits rolled, and Carolina had to admit that she had enjoyed it despite ancient graphics and somewhat goofy tone at points. What really intrigued her however was Maine's reaction to the movie, he must have seen it serval times but he watched each scene with rapt attention. She had chanced glances at the much larger freelancer and noticed how invested he was in Murphy's story, this movie; though well over 500 years old, clearly struck a chord with Maine on deeper level.

"So that's your favorite movie huh? It was pretty good … not exactly my cup of tea though." She said him teasingly causing him to quirk an eyebrow at her.

"Romcoms?" asked a smirk stretching across his face.

"Ha…ha smartass, but if you must know I enjoy historical war films" she replied with an artificial air of sophistication as she took another swig from her now almost empty bottle.

"Psssh, boring" Maine scoffed at her statement.

"Watch Zulu, and then we'll talk Robocop" she replied finishing her bottle "Damn, all out and the evening is still so young" she tossing the empty container into Maine trash with a practiced ease.

Maine followed her lead polishing of his own drink before going to the small refrigerator nestled in the corner of his corridors. He opened it up and pulled two beers out tossing one to Carolina.

"You own Zulu?"

With a smile Carolina stood up; a little off balance much to her surprise, and approached Maine's monitor. With a few quick strokes on the key pad her personal account was logged on. She accessed her admittedly limited entertainment library, she mainly used her account for files related to her assignments and personal records; like they were supposed to, but soon enough she found her goal proceeded to play the classic film.

"By the way, where the hell did you get that disk? Movies haven't been released on physical format in…well centuries" she inquired flopping back down into her seat with a distinct lack of grace.

"I found it" he said simply.

"You found it?"

"Yep"

"…okay" she relented the line of questioning for the time being and focused on the movie starting before them. Admittedly it had a bit of slow start and it couldn't compare to the action of 'Robocop" but everything that was portrayed actually happened and that's what struck Carolina about the movie, sure it had a script but these were real men fighting a real war, she just hoped Maine saw it that way.

* * *

A few hours later and several beers later the movie wrapped up, Carolina smiling at the look on Maine's face. While his face didn't betray any dramatic changes, she could tell by the look in his eyes that the movie had captured and held his attention, which was more than she could say for York who had fallen asleep when he had shown it to him.

"So what did you think?" she half laughed a smirk plastered on her features.

"… It was pretty good … not exactly my cup of tea though." His smart ass response earned him an empty beer can being pitched at him from Carolina, which he easily batted away.

"You liked it admit it" she readied another can before he relented, and she threw it at him regardless.

For a short time two of the most stoic and fearless freelancers shared a laugh, and just for moment let their guard down. This is was the whole reason York had started this little tradition, to remind them that they were indeed more than just soldiers, they were still people. After a short time the laughter died down.

Taking another long drink from her beer Carolina let her mind wander to something that had been weighing on her mind about her teammate for some time. While was remiss to bring it up; not wanting to ruin to comfortable air between them. Maybe it was the alcohol in her system, but the two of them were alone and now might be her best chance to ask.

"Hey…Maine, can I ask you something?"

"Shoot"

"Well, back when I first met you…when I asked you about your name…" she trailed off seeing his face grow dark and grim.

"You what never mind, you don't have to tell me" she dismissed herself hoping she hadn't crossed a line and done something that couldn't be undone. As she made to get up and leave when Maine spoke.

"No…I'll tell you" he replied simply turning to face her fully.

"Are...are you sure?" a nod was all the response she received before he took a long drink followed up by a deep sigh.

"When I was born, my parents abandoned me, they left on the steps of a government facility" he paused for a moment before continuing "I don't recall the planet but the orphanage was run more like a prison than anything else, and since my parents never saw fit to name me I assigned a number…00-0731" Carolina looked at the large man before her his normally proud posture reduced to a slump, she was beginning to regret asking him such a personal question.

"Maine… if you want to stop…" but he raised a hand to silence her, he was going to finish this.

"That was my identity for my whole life there no name just a number, but even that changed the day she came"

"The day who came?" she inquired her interest pique by this development and his change into tone. Maine raised his eyes to meet hers and spoke with a tone colder than ice.

"Halsey" the moment he mentioned the doctor's name Carolina's eyes widened in shock. After the war with the Covenant the UNSC had released all the files on what Dr. Catherine Halsey had done and denounced her as a war criminal, and while impressive, it was also truly monstrous. "Wait you were a Halsey's child? ... You were a Spartan?" the shock was quite evident in Carolina's words. She was working with a Spartan II just like the Master Chief. It was no wonder why the Director has such faith in Maine. But as these thoughts raced through her mind Carolina noticed Maine shaking his head.

"No… I never completed the program, I was dismissed before final augmentation due to not meeting psychological requirements… I was deemed too emotional to be of any long term use" Carolina almost gave an audible scoffed at this prospect, but she bit her tongue. This clearly quite painful for him to talk about and she would not disrespect him like that. "So they took me, trained me, tortured me, experimented on me and cast me away when I didn't live up to their expectations… we all lost any identity we had before, and for a child who never had a name it was…" he trailed off lost in his thoughts for a moment before facing her once again "Well.. Now you know"

Carolina had known that asking this question would lead to some sensitive topics, but this was worse than she could imagine. Raising herself from her seat with some degree of effort; now feeling the effects of the alcohol more acutely, and made her way over to the mountain of a man and did something that surprised even her. In a very uncharacteristic shown of affect she gently wrapped her arms around the large man's neck and held him in a tight embrace before whispering softly in his ear.

"I'm sorry Maine" there was nothing else she could think to say in this moment so she said only what she could. For an instance she felt Maine's body stiffen and she was certain he was going to throw her off but she couldn't bring herself to care about that right now, when he did move however it not was not aggresive, but slow and very unsure. Carolina then felt his massive tree trunk arms wrap around her gently still very unsure with this familiar contact.

"Not your fault" his voice rumbled through her as he repeated the same words he spoke to her when she had asked the same question so long ago, the exact same phrase but the tone was entirely different. Carolina was unsure how long that sat like that before she gently pulled herself away from him.

"If you ever tell anyone about this, I will end you" she half joked with damaged man before her, and she was pleased to see that her comment had earned a small smile from him. The two shared a short laugh at her comment, but it only lasted a moment before Carolina felt her eyelids grow extremely heavy. Had she really drank that much? She began to secretly wonder when she had become such a lightweight, as she steadily grew more and more drowsy. Maine clearly noticed her current state as he stood from his seat on his bed pulling the sheets up before effortlessly hefting the now half-awake Carolina up and placing her on his bead before covering her up and moving to take seat in his chair. Carolina began to sit up to protest but she was silenced.

"Sleep, I'll be fine right here" Maine spoke with finality. Normally she would have protested, but she was just so tired the warmth of the bed was practically calling her name so she relented. She thought for a second she would get him back in the morning for daring to boss her around, but before long she had drifted off into a deep sleep surrounded by warmth and Maine's distinct scent of pine and leather.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: A real quick update with this one, this is one of my shorter chapters and this will also be the last chapter before the Meta, and what follows will take place after Maine's "death"**

"What did I tell you when we met…what did I tell you countless times afterwards, I don't need you to protect me…now look at you…I hope your happy" Carolina whispered bitterly to broken form lying unconscious in the infirmary, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

All the others had long since gone off to their quarters for the night, Washington was the last to leave Maine's bedside finally allowing Carolina the solitude she desired. She didn't know if Maine could hear her or not, but she refused to let herself appear fragile in front of team.

The amount of guilt she felt was crushing down upon her chest was immense. If she had been more aware of her surroundings she would have noticed the sniper and Maine wouldn't have taken the bullet for her. If she had been a better fighter he wouldn't have been shot in the neck. If she had been more decisive he would not have been run down and thrown from the bridge and almost drown. If she had been better the mission would have gone smother and Maine would not be hooked up to all these machine clinging to life.

As she listened to the hiss of the pumps that sustained Maine and the beeps of the monitors that kept track of his condition the full weight of the situation set in. The doctors had said there was a good chance Maine would never wake up, that it was a miracle that he had even survived long enough to be picked out of the water let alone make it back to base for treatment, and if he did wake up he would never be able to speak again.

How could she have failed him so completely, Maine was always the one to come to her aide, he had taken more bullets for her than any should have been able to survive. Even with a high caliber round lodged in his lung he had leapt to her side and helped her with the insurrectionist, and even after having his throat torn apart he continued to try and aide her. Sure York was always there to help her up after she fell, but Maine was there trying to keep her from falling and she let this happen to him.

"This all my fault…if I hadn't been so concerned with Texas I could have stopped this" she spoke softly as she gently grabbed her friends hand; careful to avoid the IV, and gently stroke it as she took in how terrible his condition truly was.

The sniper's bullet had punctured his left lung and shattered his sternum, nine bullets through his throat and one to his jaw, he was riddled with shrapnel and between hitting the highway, being struck by a truck and falling several stories into a river he had broken all his ribs, and the bones in his right arm were pulverized. Both his femurs were snapped in half, and his left shoulder was dislocated. Both his retinas had been detached and his liver had ruptured at some point and they had to essential replace all his blood three times before they managed to stop the bleeding.

There was virtually not part of his body not covered with either gauze or a cast. If she hadn't know who he was before he would have been completely unrecognizable. She almost couldn't bear seeing him like this, he was always the one of the most stalwart and sturdy freelancers, and now he lay before her shattered unable to breathe on his own. But she would stay by his side until the end no matter what the outcome.

Gripping his hand a little firmer she began to hum to him before almost unconsciously the words came from her lips. Her voice hushed and she couldn't really carry the tune but she didn't care.

"Heading down south to the land of the pines, I'm thumbing my way into North Caroline,  
Staring up the road and pray to God I see headlight" she sang to him in a hushed tone, she felt incredibly foolish in that moment, this was extremely unlike her, but with no one else around to judge her she continued to quietly sing to her fallen friend.

When she finished she was silent for a second before she felt a small movement on her hand. Glancing down she saw Maine's fingers move slightly in a strained attempt to grip her hand.

"Maine…can you hear me?" she asked in wonder her voice hushed and almost cracking. After what seemed like an eternity she received a painful slow nod from the injured giant. Her heart soared for a moment before realizing how serious his condition still was, but she could help but smile. Clearly in a great deal of pain he struggled to try but Carolina stopped him placing her hand gently on his shoulder.

"Shhhh…its okay your safe now" her words seemed to calm him, but they had a different effect on her. She nearly lost control over her emotions, despite what she had said everything was not okay. "Maine…this is all my fault…if only I have been a better leader then you…." But her words were cut off when she felt his giant hand place itself over hers and he slowly shook his head.

How could he think that!? Here he was unable to function his own, practically at death's door and refused to let her blame herself. How could he be like that? Even when he was barely able to move he was trying to keep her from falling.

"No Maine, not this time…you almost died today and it was my fault. I was so focused on proving myself I lost sight of protecting my team…we nearly lost you today" although her voice held a great deal of authority it was also laced with stress, sorrow, and regret.

Maine seemed to ponder this for a moment before he slowly removed his hand from hers. For a split second her heart fell into her stomach, had she made him angry? This thought was quickly dispelled when he brought a loose fist over his chest and beat on it lightly. Carolina let out light snort of laughter in spite of herself.

"Yeah…too tough" she said with a smile on her face finishing his trademark statement for him.

She sat there for a little while Maine drifted off the sleep from the heavy medication. She watched him for some time, the rise and fall of his chest assuring her he was asleep and not gone. She stood getting ready to leave for the evening before glancing back at her teammate and friend. For some reason she could not bring herself to leave, she had this foreboding feeling that after tonight she may never see him again.

That was insane right? He may be hurt now but the doctors had told them if he did wake up the worse would be behind him, but she could not seem to shake the grim feeling. So she walked back over to his bedside and pulled her chair closer and she laid her head down next to his chest, the sound of his heart beating strong and steady lulled her to sleep a small smile on her face because despite the heavy smell of disinfectant she could still just make out Maine's familiar scent, that strange combination of pine and leather.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Okay would like to start of all of those who have been following my story and who have taken the time to review my work. The time you take to offer you support and advice helps me become better. Thank you again for your support.**

The enemy's base was exceptionaly complex and to the untrained eye it would have seemed chaotic and unorganized. But Carolina saw it for what it was, there was certainly a method to the madness of this bases design. It was housed deep underground imbedded in a mountain, to a passing civilian there would be no visible signs of civilization. The thick stone also interfered with any attempts to scan and gain intel, and that was exactly why they were here.

War was coming to Chorus and they needed every advantage they could obtain. With her camouflage active Carolina moved unseen through the enemy compound, her eyes scanning for anything out of the ordinary. They had gotten a lead that Control had gotten his hands on some freelancer tech and they needed to either steal it back or get rid of it, stepping off to a side corridor she sent out a call on a secure frequency.

"Washington, what's your position?"

"I'm in the sub-basement heading towards their research facility, they definitely have something big going on down here the security is insane. I was able to pull some files off one the terminals, but it's encrypted, I'm sending them to you so Epsilon can decode them"

"Roger that, I'm just about at their main terminal, once I get what I need I'll head down and back you up"

"Got it, Washington out" and with that their radios went silent.

"You ready to get to work Epsilon?" Carolina inquired to the A.I.

"It's about damn time I just about lost my mind waiting for something to do, oh and by the way could you please stop calling be Epsilon, my name is fucking Church" he responded in an aggravated tone.

"No can do Epsilon" she said with a smirk.

She could hear him mutter to himself as he set to work decoding the files, it was a simple enough process and before long he spoke to her informing her of his find.

"Okay, I've got the first file un-encrypted, it appears to be an audio file detailing some of the experiments, the earliest date is set about two years ago, do you want to hear it?"

"Go for it, keep up on the others though"

"Already on it" and with that he played the file. The voice that she heard was a cold and calculating one, the man speaking was clearly a scientist.

"We have been quite fortunate today, at 0600 hours we received a new specimen for our studies. A large Caucasian male approximately thirty years old biologically, specimen dubbed subject 731. Subject 731 was heavily injured when he was brought in but still managed to injure three doctors and several of the security team before he was subdued. The subject has a curiously sturdy build; even when accounting for his size, as well an extreme tolerance to pain. This makes the subject ideal for the experiments on the newly acquired assets from Project Freelancer" with a sense of finality the recording ended and a sense of foreboding overcame Carolina.

"So they're experimenting on humans" she said icily as she rounded a corner growing closer to goal.

"Yeah from the looks of the charts attached to the file they have been doing it for a while, this new subject they obtained was just the first that survived anything" the A.I's voice almost sounded detached, but Carolina could tell he was disturbed by what they heard, this scientist regarded a human life as though he were talking of a piece of meat.

"Play the next one" Epsilon did as he was asked and Carolina heard the same cold voice again.

"It has been three weeks since out latest experiment on subject 731, and the subject has become increasingly aggressive. We have needed to replace his leather binding with titanium carbide articulated arm and leg brackets incasing his hands and feet. He is now able to struggle all he wants against his weighted bonds, this tires him out much more quickly making managing him much easier and as a result out tests have been progressing much more rapidly. Subject 731 has since been out fitted with several experimental augmentations. His physical reaction has been rather extreme, it has become rather clear that we must abandon these augmentations for the time being, every administration was extremely painful despite full anesthesia causing a form of psychosis in the subject." The recording pause for a short time and only sound of shuffling papers was heard before the voice continue.

"On a more positive note our medical tests on subject 731 have been rather successful. With our modification to some of "Project Freelancers" medical technology we have made quite bit of progress in the medical field, the subject has been technically executed in several different manners; please refer to data charts for details, and we were able to successfully revive him each time before cell death occurred in the brain tissue. Though the subject has been rather resilient both mentally and physically to this point I fear that he will expire before all out tests are complete. It's a shame really he could have become great asset"

There was a stale silence between the Carolina and Epsilon for a moment. They both knew that humans had been experiment on before that was how Project Freelancer had worked. But this was different, it appeared that those in charge of this facility were continually forcing multiple extremely painful procedures on this subject, but what really struck them was they were actively killing a man over and over just to try and bring him back, that was beyond disturbing.

"The main terminal in up here Carolina" Epsilon said quickly changing the subject.

Carolina quickly approached and inserted the download drive into console and Epsilon went to work obtaining what they needed without setting off any alarms. Within seconds they had obtained the information they need and Carolina removed the drive before turning and beginning to head to her rendezvous with Wash.

"Church about subject 731…" Carolina started but she was cut off.

"I'm already on it Carolina… he's still alive and being held in the sub-basement… it looks like he's the only one they have that's still breathing, Washington is actually making his way towards him as we speak. It looks like they're still running tests with freelancer equipment on him" as soon as he finished Carolina radioed to Washington.

"Agent Washington, hold your position I'm on my way down now, I get the feeling you're about to meet much heavier resistance, do not press forward until I arrive" there was silence for a moment before he responded.

"Okay...the only problem is…" he was cut off by the sound of shouting soldiers and the blare of gun fire "You might want to pick the pace a little Carolina… I'm just saying" he answered almost jokingly before returning fire.

Cursing silently to herself Carolina doubled her pace, still injured from weeks prior she could not yet use her speed enhancement.

"Church plot me a course, fasted possible route"

"I've got one but…"

"But what?"

"You're not going to like it" he finished just as he guided her to an elevator, prying open the doors there was an empty shaft going straight down for at least twenty stories.

"Sometimes I really don't like you" she deadpanned as she leapt into the darkness, as she fell she heard A.I talk in her mind again.

"While you have a free moment can I ask…are you going to keep calling Church or this this just temporary thing cause by stress." Of course he would bring that up.

"Not now Church, we have to concentrate on helping Wash, have you plotted a route for when I land?"

"Already taken care of" he finished speaking just before Carolina hit the ground floor pain shooting up her injured leg, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. Gritting her teeth she took off towards Washington's location.

After minutes of running she heard the sound of gunfire, she rounded a corner and saw her ally pinned down behind a crate. Firing into the opposition she ran and slide behind another crate next to Wash.

"What happened here? This was supposed to be a stealth mission" she shouted over the noise as she returned fire.

"Well… I was sneaking past a group of solider when…well… it just snuck up on me!" He defended himself without even giving her an answer, and Carolina groan it was just like his first mission, only this time Maine wasn't there to back them up she thought bitterly for a second before refocusing on the situation at hand.

"Epsilon, give us some options"

"Oh back to Epsilon, that didn't last long huh? Well we have fifteen soldiers, ten assault rifles, three DMR's, and two shotguns. I jammed all internal communications when we were at the main terminal so there won't be any reinforcements. There is a steam pipe running directly above their head, they don't have any vision enhancing tech so pop that pipe and there easy pickings" Carolina acted the moment he finished.

With a well-placed shot the pipe ruptured and the enemy seemed to panic for a moment, but it was enough for the two former freelancers to capitalize. Each tossed a frag grenade and seconds later the threat was neutralized, and the two soldiers moved past the broken bodies, intent on obtaining what they came for.

"Next time you want to sneeze on a black op, do me a favor and shoot yourself so I don't have to rescue you again" Carolina deadpanned at Wash.

"Come on Carolina, it was one other time, are you ever going to let me live that down" Washington pleaded with his teammate, Carolina's silence confirmed that she would indeed never let him live it down.

With a huff he decided to change to subject back to research files he had obtained.

"So did Epsilon manage to crack the code on those files?"

"Yeah, it turns out that they have been doing heavy experiments on captured human subjects here" her answer seemed bring Washington back to a serious state of mind.

"How many?"

"We don't know for certain, all the files you sent were in regards to a single subject, and it appears he is the only one that is still alive. He also happened to be the target of this particular mission, apparently they have been doing very heavy experiments with freelancer tech on this guy" Carolina spoke with an even tone as they made their way to their final destination.

"We need to get his guy; as well as any leftover freelancer tech, out of here. From the sounds of this scientist in charge on those recordings, they have been making a lot of progress on altering what they scavenged." Epsilon chimed into the conversation.

"Were there any other files" Washington inquired as they pressed forward.

"Just one more, let me patch you in so you can hear" with that the A.I played the final record for both soldiers to hear.

"Subject 731 mental state has taken an unexpected turn after the latest battery of tests. While I would not say his will has been broken it seems his body will no longer let him continue to resist, and he has entered a catatonic state. This has been most fortunate for use, we now have a subject that does not resist any tests we place upon, however with his mind lost it is impossible to tell what effect our tests have on the mental state of our subjects. Oh well, while the subject has been invaluable I fear we are approaching the limits of his usefulness, well so be it when he expires at least he will have served a greater purpose" the recording ended and Washington was the first to speak.

"What the hell is that guy's problem" he voiced the question that they all had been think "This is like some serious Nazi shit" and while they did not acknowledge it vocally, the other two agreed.

After walking in silence for some time, they came to their goal. A large solid metal cylinder with the numbers 731 painted on the side, this was no doubt the containment unit for the test subject.

"Epsilon can you open it up?" she inquired already know the answer.

"Come on Carolina look who you talking two, it'll just be a second" there was a hiss and two compartments on the sides of the containment unit opened up. "Ummm…yeah just give me a minute it's a little bit more complicated than I thought hold on.

As they waited Carolina walked over to one of the opened compartments, certain they likely contained the scavenged freelancer tech, but what she saw made her heart jump for a moment. Slowly she reached in and removed the weapons before her. A large formidable grenade launcher with a massive blade attached to the back, Maine's brute shot.

"Carolina" she turned to Wash when he spoke her name, and what she saw made her drop the weapon in her hands, staring at her from Washington's hands was white helmet with a gold visor. It was covered in dents and scratches, and there were the beginnings of cracks in the visor but it was unmistakable.

"Maine" she whispered as she gently lifted the battered helmet from his hands. Before her thoughts fully came to her there was the sound of hissing gases being release as well as the screeching of metal as the containment unit was opened.

Carolina and Wash watched as a figure fell from the pod, he was emaciated and battered. There were tubes and wire inserted under his skin, and sensor attached all over his body. The unconscious figure hit the floor, the force of his fall snapped many of the wires attached to his form and he hit the metal floor with a resounding smack.

Carolina quickly approached the fallen man kneeling down next to him her heart was racing. He was riddled with scars; old and new, his face was covered in a scruffy beard that looked as though it had been haphazardly but periodically cut. The hair on his head was dark and shaggy, with exceptions of where it had been shaved down in order to attach sensors and wires. But despite his sickly and battered appearance Carolina knew the man before, and she couldn't help the tears that stung at her eyes and her voice cracked.

"Good God….what did they do to you Maine" she spoke sadly as she cradled the fallen form of a lost friend.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Just giving a heads up, this chapter contains more adult language than others simply due to fact this will be the chapter where I introduce some of the Reds and Blues. This is also where I will address Maine's state of mind when he attacked Carolina on the cliff, I included it in flashback as I did not feel it was long enough to warrant it's own chapter. Anyway thank you again for reading and as always be sure to let me know what you think.**

How long had it been since the voices had stopped? Sigma and the other had been destroyed in that EMP, but their presence lingered in his mind, even though Sigma was gone he could still feel his influence, he was no longer Maine he was the META.

But something was different now, his mind was clear of any outside influence, no voices, no medication it was just his own thoughts and part of that terrified him.

Alone in his own head was a state he had not been in for many years, and the thought quite scarred him. Even though his recollection of the past years was corrupted and sporadic at least it was familiar. This emptiness was unfamiliar territory for him, this coupled with the few memories he could recall from the past years almost made him wish he had not woken up.

Maine could hear voices coming from nearby, he recognized some of them but he could not place them. He heard them arguing about something he could just make out protests of "Are you fucking serious?" and something about "The scariest fucking mute in the galaxy" and he knew they were talking about him.

With a lot more effort than it should have taken he slowly opened his eyes. Giving the room a quick scan his heart stopped when his eyes landed the sleeping form of Carolina, he'd thought she was dead. His mind was now racing as well his pulse as the recalled one of the worst moments of his life.

* * *

_ "What are we doing" Maine asked the A.I in his mind._

_ "What needs to be done Agent Maine" the strangely calm voice of Sigma rang through his skull as they trekked through the snow towards the fallen form of Carolina._

_ As Carolina stood Maine felt himself lose control of his body, as though he were a puppet and Sigma his master. As his hand reached out for her he tried to fight the A.I's influence, and for a split second it worked and he stayed his hand but the resistance did not last long, and before he could think his hand scooped Carolina off the ground with next to no effort and he tore her helmet from her head before digging into her skull to retrieve her A.I chips._

_ "STOP IT!" his mind shouted and fought against Sigma to no avail, and he watched in horror as he threw her from the cliff, this couldn't be real… could it? While lost in his shock he felt a piercing pain as two more chips were forced into his skull, and suddenly there two more voices ringing in his head drowning out his own mind. _

_ Maine tried in vain to fight the artificial influence now corrupting his mind, in his head he was screaming, shouting for Carolina but nothing came of it, only a low animalistic growl and even that was not his._

_ "You must calm yourself Agent, trust me this is all for the best...you do trust me don't you Maine?" Sigma spoke in an almost sing song tone._

_ The look of terror and betrayal on Carolina's face was all Maine could think of as he heard Sigma speak once more, although it was not to him this time, but he couldn't bring himself to care about that all he could think was 'what have I done'. That look in Carolina's eyes haunted him as his last lucid memory, every day after that Maine felt his own mind grow smaller and lesser among the A.I and it only worsened as Sigma obtain more. Washington, North, even Texas they all fell to the might of the META until finally one day he was a spectator in his own body and Maine was nothing more than a whisper._

* * *

Now he lay here in a medical facility and Carolina was keeping vigil over him. How could she possibly not want him dead after what he had done? But here she was, just like when she kept watch over him all those years ago on the day he lost his voice her hand gently grasping his own.

It was too much for him to handle, he needed to get out here! With rush of adrenaline he pull his hand from Carolina's and tore the heart rate sensors from his chest as he made to stand. The sudden and frantic beeping the followed the removal triggered something in Maine and he felt himself begin to panic, and he suddenly found himself back in the laboratory of that madman.

His eyes darted around as armed men entered the room, clearly panic that their subject had freed himself. Moving with a surprising amount of speed for someone in his condition he hurled a chair at them causing them scatter and fall in a panic. It felt as though his muscles were tearing and his bones were burning but he would not let them take him, not again he was done being a guinea pig.

"MY BIG GULP!" one in orange screamed in terror as his soft drink spilled.

"HE'S GOIN ON A RAMPAGE! QUICK SHOOT EM'SHOOT EM' IN THE FACE" another one drawled drawing a shotgun and training it on his head. Maine simply growled making his towards the barrel, better off dead than some experiment he thought.

In the midst of his rage and terror he felt a gentle hand grip his shoulder and turn him around, as he spun a calming voice spoke to him. His steel grey eyes met with green and the nightmares world that had been his life for more than two years melted away.

"It's okay Maine ,you're safe here, no one's going to hurt you" Carolina's voice served to soothe him as she gently cupped his face in her hand stroking his cheek gently with a thumb that was surprising calloused, but it served to calm Maine in a way no one else would ever understand.

As his heart slowed down and his adrenaline levels dropped his fatigue hit him hard and fast. His legs began to shake and tremble; how he hated feeling so weak, and Carolina lead him back to his bed in the infirmary, as he lay down he saw Washington move to shuffle the soldiers in red and blue from the room, it was then he realized they were the soldiers who had thrown him into the sea, but now he was so tired he could bring himself to feel any aggression. As Wash lead them out he heard one of the foul mouthed rejects ask something in excessively loud voice.

"The fucks up with Carolina?" Maine recognized that voice, it was the one with the sword.

"It's a long story, I'll explain later, come let's let him rest" Wash responded calmly

"But she's treating him like a God damned puppy, what happened to miss cold …." SMACK "Ouch, what was that for?" his line of questioning was interrupted by a resounding whack from Washington, Maine would have smiled if he weren't so tired.

As the room turned once more to silence and Maine's mind quieted his sense of dread grew. How would he be treated by those he betrayed? This thought ran through his mind along with many others as he stared blankly into the space in front of him, now that he had his wits about him he could not bear to look Carolina in the face. How could have been so weak to so as to let an A.I fragment take him over?

As his mind calmed a guilt washed over him and a sense of foreboding sunk deep into him infecting him with type of fear he had never felt before. Just as the weight seemed to become too much to bear he heard her say his name again, there was no malice, no rage only concern.

"Maine" when he did not look up at her words she spoke again with more authority "Maine…look at me"

Slowly and with a great deal of effort he raised his gaze to meet hers. This time when their eyes meet his vision was not clouded by his fear, she looked so happy and melancholy at the same time. He noticed with some alarm that there were tears in the corner of her eyes, before his brain could even process this his vision grew blurred. Even with his sight impaired he saw the tears in Carolina's eye finally roll down her cheeks. Without thinking he reached out and wiped them away with a gentleness he didn't even know he possessed.

"I thought you were gone…" her hushed voice trailed off as she subconsciously leaned into his touch before gently reaching up and grasping his massive hand with both of hers, as though she were afraid he would disappear. At this he quickly pulled his hand away before looking away from her, his guilt etched into his features.

"Maine that wasn't you… you may by a lot of things, but you are not the META…I know you would never do that to me…you would never hurt me like that" although she spoke with conviction and utter surety he could not believe her. It had been his hand digging into her skull, it was his arm the hurled her into oblivion and was not sure he could ever forgive himself for what he had done.

His eyes roved around the room finding extremely hard to keep his gaze on her, every time he looked her in the eyes all he saw was that look he had put there all those years ago. Fear, betrayal and confusion and although none of these emotion were present now, they were all he could think of.

From the periphery of his vision he saw her shuffle for a moment as she reached for something. Without looking at her she handed him something, it appeared to be small piece of paper. Taking it gingerly he turned it over. The faces looking back up him were familiar and yet complete strangers. The photo that York had taken all that time ago was battered and faded but still there, he had thought for sure he had lost it when he was pulled over the cliff, Maine was convinced it was the one thing that had kept his consciousness from being snuffed out completely after his mind had been corrupted by Sigma.

"We found that in your helmet when we recovered you from the facility…you kept it all this time, that was you not the META, its how we knew you were still in there somewhere… I want you to know Maine, none of us ever blamed you for what happened not me, not Washington…not York" she then mumbled something under her breath that Maine was sure he had misheard. His head snapped in her direction and he let out a low growl, that Carolina; much to his surprise, seemed to understand.

"I said it was my fault, I gave you Sigma, and he was built for me and not you. But the director still let give him to you" she finished her sentence bitterly at the thought of her father, a great deal of the blame fell on him but she had still played her part in Maine's descent. As she suspected he would Maine shook his head, of course he wouldn't want her to blame herself, that's just who he was. Not really wanting to argue with him she opted to change the subject.

"Get some rest Maine… tomorrow we'll get you a haircut" she said jokingly running her hand through his shaggy hair earning her a small smile from him. He relaxed visibly at her touch before closing his eyes both his mental and physiological exhaustion finally catching up with him. Before he drifted off he heard her speak one final time before darkness consumed him "Good night Maine, I'll be here when you wake up"

As soon as Carolina was certain he asleep she stepped out into the hallway outside Maine's room, keeping him in her line of sight at all times. If he reacted the way she had after her ordeal his sleep would fitful and full of terror. As she continued her watchful vigil she heard the approaching footsteps of Dr. Grey and Washington.

"I finally managed to the get the Reds and Blues out of our hair for the time being, so doc did you finish running those tests"?

"Why yes I did Agent Washington and what I found was quite remarkable" Grey answered in her usual and rather unsettling chipper tone.

"Well?" Carolina inquired, she wanted to know exactly what they had done to him.

"Well it appears that the Charon Industries seems to have got their hands on some ONI files as well as freelancer equipment. From my tests on Agent Maine as well as the intel you retrieved it would seem they tried to reproduce the results of the SPARTAN II program through trial and error on Agent Maine, though oddly enough they didn't attempt all the augmentations and I have yet to ascertain why" she paused for a moment noticing Carolina's slight shifting at the mention but she dismissed it for now.

Carolina had not told a soul what Maine told that night what now seemed like decades ago, and she didn't know if he had ever told anyone else; including Wash, about how he had been booted from the SPARTAN program.

"Well as I went into more detail with my tests I was indeed able to confirm a slew of biological as well as mechanical augmentations were forced upon Agent Maine including carbide ceramic ossification, occipital capillary reversal, superconducting fibrification of neural dendrites, as well as trace elements of several as of yet unknown chemical cocktails all I know is from the files is they are supposed to alter his biology in some way but they never recorded the results of the injects either because they did not work or the results have yet to manifest. They also implanted him some experimental nano-technology which; according to their records, was supposed to increase speed, strength, stamina and his resistance to damage, but they were unable to confirm whether or not it amounted to any tangible results. There is also a laundry list of other attempted and failed augmentations." She rattled off all the experiments they performed on Maine like she was reading a grocery list.

"It looks to me like they just threw everything at the wall to see what would stick, many of these experiments reacted in violent and in a negative manner with each other…well that would explain the extreme pain reactions they recorded" upon hearing at how carelessly Maine's captor had treatment him both Washington and Carolina felt their blood boil, but before they could speak Dr. Grey continued with her report.

"Also while he was under sedation I was able to remove the damaged fragments of the A.I chips imbedded in his skull. While they were no functional they were interestingly enough still transmitting subtle impulses to the brain, this likely contributed to the psychosis they described in his file. While there removal will aid in his mental recovery only time will tell if his mind will ever fully recover. Some the other tests they performed on him were rather…intense, honestly he shouldn't even be alive right now let alone interacting with anyone" she finished losing her normal upbeat tone.

"We've heard that before, thanks for your help doctor, we'll let you know if anything happens"

"You are quite welcome, good day Agents Washington, Carolina" she spoke to each of them in turn her voice regaining its usual tone. When she was a decent distance away Washington turned to his friend.

"So…they tried to turn him into some kind of…." Wash started but Carolina finished.

"A monster, that's what they were trying to make him…it looks like they bite of more than they chew with Maine though, according to the records they were never able to get him actively cooperate." She half joked about the grim situation training her eyes on Maine who was now sleeping fitfully.

"Ha isn't that just like him though?... Why don't you get some rest Carolina, I can watch him for a while" Wash offered but she just shook her head.

"No, thank you though, but I made him a promise" her voice sounded tired but determined "I need to be there when he wakes up" her tone left no room for any debate as she reentered Maine's temporary corridors and took up her pervious seat.

"I understand, I'll see you in the morning Carolina" Wash gave her pat on her shoulder as he left them for the evening.

"It's okay Maine, I'm right here, nothing is going to happen to you" she whispered as a mother would to child gently caressing his sweat soaked brow and it seemed to calm him. For the first time in years Maine slept calmly through the night.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: This chapter was a little harder to write but here it is. As always let me know what you think, the reviews you write are what drive me to continue.**

Maine awoke the next morning with a start, his eyes shot open, things were far too quiet and calm but then he relaxed when he recalled where he was. His eyes roved over to his side and true to her word there was Carolina, passed out and disheveled but there. He noticed with slight amusement the drool that ran from the corner of her mouth, before reaching and giving her a soft shake causing her to jump.

"Wha!? What… oh Maine, what's wrong?" the concern in her voice was evident as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

In response he gave soft growl; that sounded more like a purr, gesturing with his head to the empty bed next to his then pointing at her. Clearly indicating that she needed to get some proper sleep. Before she could protest Washington was walking in holding a tray.

"Okay Carolina you've kept an eye on him long enough, now go get some real rest your no good to us if your dead on your feet, I can keep him company" he set the tray down on the side table next to Maine's bed as he help the still weary Carolina up.

"Okay…Maine…I'll see you later" she relented as she left she chanced a glance back the man in bed a small smile on her face.

"Okay big guy I brought you breakfast, and I made your to bring you favorite" he said removing the covering on the tray to relieve an assortment of pancakes, bacon, sausage, ham, and just about everything else the kitchen could fit on the platter "Food" he said with a mild amusement in voice.

Maine stared at the meal placed before him almost stunned as his stomach audibly growled, how long had it been since he had a proper meal? From what he recalled at the facility they kept him alive with injection the supplied him with all the vitamins and nutrients he needed to survive. He could almost feel himself drool as he got ready to tuck in, but not before Washington gave him a warning.

"The doctor said to make sure you eat slow, she said your digestive track would not be ready to process real food yet and you might get sick. She didn't even want you to have any solid food yet but I told her "You don't know Maine" so she told to make sure you at least took it slow" he said with a goofy smirk plastered on his face.

He sat in the seat Carolina had previously occupied and let his friend eat in silence for a moment before speaking again.

"Look Maine…I don't know if Carolina talked to you about this but…we need to talk about what happened." This caused Maine to stop immediately before he trained his eyes on the former freelancer who he had called his best friend in the past. "Now I know that what happened wasn't your choice but we need to address it with the Reds and the Blues, they are still afraid of you, they don't know that the META and Maine are not the same person. I've done a lot to convince them but; and I know you won't like this, but you should meet with them, we need them on your side, they're heroes to these people".

Maine practically snorted, those bumbling fools were heroes? How could anyone see them as heroic? From what little he had heard from them they were argumentative and none too bright.

"I know it seems a little…stupid, but it's true, the people of this planet look up to those sim-soldiers and if they want they could have you sent away. Trust me buddy you need to this, Carolina has bought you a lot of good will but that can only go so far. Besides they're not so bad…a little aggravating but they're good men, besides they managed to find a way to beat you when even Agent Texas couldn't" he joked at the last part with smirk.

With a huff Maine relented and growl a response and nodded, Washington was always able to understand what he meant whenever he growl. He wondered for a moment how different things would have been if he had never been shot in the throat. Sigma would never have taken him over, he never would have become the META, maybe more of them would be alive but he dismissed the thought if he let himself think like that he would surely sink into a depression, and he had work that need to be done. But his train of thought was interrupted by Washington.

"Good…well I'll let you finish breakfast, then I'm going to start bringing some the Blues in, they should be a little easier to convince I think so we'll start there" his voice seemed apprehensive at the thought but was still determined.

As Maine finished his meal he set the tray off to his side and Wash stood up to go and fetch the Blues.

"Now Maine try and take it easy, these guys…they aren't like us, they can be frustrating but just give them a chance" it was a fair request but he couldn't make any promises as he recalled how annoying the purple one called "Doc" was.

Outside his room Maine could hear Washington coaching the Blues so they would not piss him off. He appreciated it on some level but it also aggravated him, he may be injured but he was not some porcelain doll that would shatter when dropped, but he did not have time to dwell on it for long as two soldiers entered flanking Washington on either side.

"Maine these are Captains Lavernius Tucker and Michel J. Caboose, gentlemen this is Agent Maine" Washington introduced they three to one another formally. After a moment of awkward silence Tucker broke it in possibly the most inappropriate way he could.

"How the fuck are we gonna communicate with this guy? All he does is growl like a God damned predator, plus he's a freaking psycho, he's tried to kill us before…twice" this earned him a savage growl from Maine as Washington made his way towards Tucker his features conveying his thoughts of 'What the hell did I just get done telling you' but before either could speak again Caboose interrupted them.

"He did not like that Tucker…I think you should apologize" he whispered the last part very loudly, had he really thought that was quite? Maine just growled again in annoyance.

"He can be a big jerk sometimes" Caboose answered Maine's response with utter surety, his tone never losing its upbeat cadence. This earned him looks of astonishment from the other three in the room. Another series of low pitch growls and clicks escaped Maine's throat thinking 'Can the simpleton understand me' he received his answer quickly.

"Yes I can understand you, and to answer your next question yes I will be your new best friend" the other just stared at him for a moment as though he had grown another head, it had taken Washington and Carolina weeks to learn to understand Maine's particular form of communication and Caboose had just picked it up in no time, when Maine growled again Caboose was quick to give his own translation.

"He said you should say you are sorry, and bring him a snack pack…and then give it to me…because we're best friends now" after a moment of stunned silence Washington spoke.

"Seriously Caboose?" it wasn't a real question but that didn't stop Caboose from answering.

"Yes…we are best friends now and we are going to having pudding parties and movie nights" he stated flatly before continuing "Don't tell Tucker, I don't want him to get jealous"

"Caboose, I'm standing right here"

"Oh right…Tucker make sure you don't tell yourself, I don't want you to get jealous"

Maine stared at him with almost a wonderment, at how someone that dumb still could be alive. What was worse was that Washington didn't seem to be disturbed by this utter lack of thought. He wondered if Carolina was the same way, had their standards really slipped so far?

As Tucker and Caboose had a back and forth on some moronic topic Maine grew frustrated and grabbed a napkin from his bead side and scribble a quick message on it before giving a load grunt gaining Tucker's attention and tossing the scribbled note to him.

"_If Carolina and Wash can trust me,_ _why can't you?"_

As he read the note Tucker could not come up with an adequate reason, sure the META had tried to kill them all…twice, but from what little the other freelancers had shared what had happened to them at their friends hands had been much worse. His tense posture relaxed a little as he muttered a response.

"Fine" not much but it was something, and with his response he turned to leave Caboose following his friend.

"Well…that went better than I thought" Wash deadpanned. He knew it would be an uphill battle to get Maine on the good sides of the Reds and Blues. There was still a lot of progress that needed to be made with Tucker, but he had expected that. "Hey…at least you've got Caboose on your side" his joke did not sit well with Maine, who just stared at him coldly.

"Okay, okay I get that it didn't go amazing, but it went smoother than I thought Tucker has been…stressed out a lot lately, he's been taking a very active role and he's not quite used to the pressure, but he'll lighten up" Washington assured him but Maine was not quite so sure. Letting out a sigh Washington spoke once more.

"Okay, I'm going to get the Reds…I'll warn you now they can be …intense"

* * *

Intense was an understatement, seconds after being introduced their leader; who went simply by Sarge, started to grill Maine either forgetting the Maine was mute or choosing to ignore it. It would have angered Maine immensely if he didn't find the display so entertaining. The men under Sarge's command were either constantly kissing his ass or trying to undermine his authority. Before long their focused shifted from Maine to each other squabbling over something no importance. Maine almost laughed at Washington's exasperated look.

Caboose may have been strait up stupid, but at least Tucker seemed to have some level of competence to him, it appeared that if these three made it through breakfast without serious injury it was a miracle. As Maine focused on their squabbled he realized jsu how far off topic the Reds had gotten.

"Grif! This is serious could stop talking about your unfinished breakfast and focus" the one that went by Simmons shouted at his dismissive teammate.

"Hey, this is a problem for afternoon Grif, Morning Grif still has a half a plate of waffles that needs attention" the chubby solider in orange shot back; how had their conversation devolved so quickly, frankly their ability to get distracted boggled Maine's mind.

"MEN! We need to focus, who knows what nefarious plots are rolling around in the META's mind. We must obtain any information we can before it's too late and find ourselves on the wrong end of his fist again" Sarge shouted with his normal gung-ho attitude seemingly forgetting Maine was not ten feet away from him.

"I told you before Sarge, this is not an interrogation and Maine will not hurt anyone" Washington said in an exasperated tone rubbing his eyes.

"You tell that to my big glug" Grif shot back earning him a glare from Washington.

Before Washington could respond they were interrupted by Dr. Grey.

"Okay that's enough for visitors, I need to run some tests and the patience needs his rest" her chipper tone was grating to Maine, but he was glad for the reprieve from the constant migraine that was the Reds.

"Agent Washington would you kindly leave as well" she asked happily earning her a confused look from Washington "Doctor Patient confidentiality you know"

"Okay…Maine I'll be outside"

"Thank you Agent Washington" she said her voice never losing its upbeat tone.

As Washington left she began to run standard tests checking his heartrate, body temperature, and reflexes. This struck Maine as odd, he could understand sending the Reds away to clear out the crowded room but there was no reason to send Washington out for such rudimentary tests.

"How have you been feeling Agent Maine? Any trouble at all?" she asked making small talk earning her a growl from Maine "Oh of course your voice, I completely forgot haha" she laughed to herself before handing Maine a pen and pad of paper.

"All your vitals seem to be normal…well normal for one such as yourself. Now I'm going to ask you some difficult questions I need you to be honest with me" her voice had suddenly turn very serious, Maine nodded to show he understood.

"Do you recall anything out of the ordinary from when you were a prisoner of Charon?" this earned an astonished look from Maine, what the hell did she think qualified as ordinary? "I mean as far as your usual routines while they held you, any experiments that seemed…different" she clarified. In response Maine scribbled a one word response.

"_Why?"_

"I don't wish to alarm you or your friends, but when I was running tests on your blood I found traces of an inorganic microbe. At first I thought it was simply a nanite injection, that was until I found that they were being produced from somewhere in your body. I have been unable to ascertain as to where and I need to know where they are coming from so I can determine their purpose" she finished matter in a of fact tone.

"_Dangerous?"_ he almost didn't want to know and her delay before responding did nothing to quell that concern.

"…Perhaps, each nanite contains large amounts of stored energy, a cursory glance at the few I have obtained point to a failsafe…an incendiary contingency incase their subject escapes, total organic disintegration." She finished grimly.

The weight of the situation suddenly hit him as he racked his brain to trying to recall anything he could from his time at the lab. Most of his memories were fuzzy and fractured but he did recall one procedure that seemed exceptionally important to those involved. Writing quickly he showed the doctor the only answer he could think of.

"_My Kidneys"_

Moving quickly Dr. Grey was at his bed side gently leaning him forward and examining his back for any scars. There were a slew of scars on his back from combat as well as surgery but none lined up with what he had told her. Then she saw them, two extremely small scars above both of his kidneys no bigger than pin pricks, no wonder she had missed them.

Moving to the medical cabinet she flung the door open and removed a large syringe. Without missing a beat she was next to Maine and held the needle above the scar tissue.

"I warn you, this will hurt Agent Maine" he simply nodded giving her permission to proceed. With deft skill and a steady hand the needle sunk into Maine's flesh.

As the metal pierced his flesh Maine did not so much as blink, not even when he felt Dr. Grey moving the needle inside him trying to find her target. This was nothing compared to what he had endured at the hands of that madman.

"Ah ha your adrenal glands" she spoke almost inaudibly as she felt as peculiar resistance, something not quite organic. Drawing the plunger back she took the sample she needed and withdrew the needle from his flesh.

"There we go, I'll analyze this...hopefully it's not what I think" she placed the acquired sample in a discreet container before taking out a syringe filled with a semi translucent liquid and injecting the contents into his I.V bag

"To help you sleep". As she made to leave the room she felt a large hand on her elbow halting her progress before handing her one final note.

"_Don't tell the others"_

"Don't worry… Doctor Patient confidentiality remember?" she smile softly before leaving the room.

Outside his room he heard a brief exchange between Washington and Dr. Grey. She informed him that all his vitals appeared normal and she had given him something to help him sleep True to her word she spoke not a word of the concerning substance that infected his blood. However Washington's interest was still piqued, it was clear he was aware not everything was right.

"Why does he need to sleep he just woke up. Shouldn't he start moving around, you know getting his strength back?"

"The amount of stress that was placed up his body was quite substantial Agent Washington, he needs to stay bedridden for a least another week" there was no room for argument, Washington may not of been entirely convince but he relented knowing he wouldn't be able to get anything from Dr. Grey.

"Alright… well, thank you again doctor for everything you've done"

"It's not trouble at all Agent Washington" the sound of fading footsteps quickly followed her response indicating her departure.

As Maine's eyes grew heavy he was just barley aware of Washington taking at his seat next to him. Just before his world went black he heard his friend speak.

"I don't know exactly what they did you Maine, but I want you to know that no matter what we…Carolina and me, we're not going anywhere"

* * *

Carolina had practically stumbled out of Maine's room early that morning after Washington had woken her. Although she had gotten a few hours of sleep they were restless, so she spent most of the night watching over the sleeping giant.

Instead of returning to her quarters she opted to find an open hospital bed and just crash. She found her what she was looking for just a few doors down from Maine's room. Walking into the empty room she fell down onto the bead without any ceremony kicking her boots off as she went. She was so tired the uncomfortable hospital bed felt as though it was stuffed with goose down and not fiber fill. Just she began to drift off the silence of the room was cut through by a familiar A.I.

"Yo Carolina can I ask you something?"

"What do you want Epsilon? I'm exhausted and just want to sleep."

"Well I was just wondering…what's the deal with you and Maine?"

"What do you mean?" she asked sitting up slightly to look at the A.I's projection.

"Come on Carolina, your telling me there's not anything between you two? The way you acted when you found him? How you kept him from going berserk yesterday, I've seen you act more like a girl these last twenty four hours than I have in the past two years"

"I don't know what you're talking about, I was just happy to see he was alive… I thought he was dead because of me"

"You expect me to believe that's all there is?" he was almost teasing her about it at this point.

"Yes, that's all there is!" she snapped back not able to hid the slight tint in her cheeks.

"Okay, fine but you have to have noticed how he looks at you" he countered her defense, when she looked at him with a confuse expression and did not answer he realized something he found to be hilarious "Ho-ho-holy shit…you really didn't know did you? I can't have the first person to say something" he was practically laughing at this point.

"Just shut up Epsilon, I'm tired and I'm going to sleep and should too" her exhaustion was evident in her voice as she slumped back down into her.

"You know I don't sleep Carolina"

"Sounds like a personal problem" she deadpanned back at him before closing her eyes to sound of him mumbling under his breath.

As the fog of sleep began to surround her thoughts drifted to what Epsilon has said to her. Did Maine really see her like that? As she recalled all their time at Project Freelancer things certainly did seem to add up. Sure there were all the times York made off color jokes when she and Maine were alone but one incident in particular came to the forefront of her mind.

All those years ago after their first sparring match and the director had chewed them out for taking things too far and he had taken the blame for it. She remembered with some guilt how she had snapped at him and the look of rejection and hurt on his face, she hadn't thought too much about at the time but it suddenly hit her what he had meant by those two words he had spoken to her before leaving.

"I guess I really didn't understand" she whispered quietly to herself before she drifted off to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

**_A/N: This chapter is a little shorter, I felt if I drew it out too much it may lose it's effect. Anyway as always let me know what you think._**

_Fire beneath her, fire up above, she was surrounded by the flames of her terror. All sides of her blared and toiled in the orange light, there was no escape she was trapped, she began to shake when a sickly sweet and disturbingly calm voice reached her ears._

_ "What is the matter Agent Carolina?" the flames parted to show the human form of the figure that had haunted her for years._

_ "You're not real! You were destroyed, this is a dream" Carolina shouted covering her ears and shutting her eyes, but Sigma's voice cut through her attempted defense his visage appearing behind her eyelids._

_ "You are quite correct my dear Carolina, I am nothing more than a memory of a memory…and yet you tremble at the sight of me" a gleeful look was upon the A.I's face._

_ "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" she screamed batting at the fiery golem that had caused her so much pain and grief, only to watch his dissipate and reform._

_ "Oh sweet Carolina, I'm not going anywhere. I will be here as long as you fear"_

_ "I'm not afraid of you!" she snarled swinging at him again knowing it would do her good._

_ "Perhaps…and perhaps I'm not the one you fear" Sigma's smile spread as he grew and shifted form. _

_ He now stood before her armored in white towering over her a visor of gold obscuring his face. Flames erupted from the false Maine before her his helmet melted revealing a flaming version of Maine's face._

_ She was now standing frozen ankle deep in the snow that now surrounded them. Try as she might she could not move as the fiery giant approached her, she was powerless as an enormous hang gripped her throat in a grip like an iron vice._

_ "This wasn't him" she choked out as she was drawn close to her assailant's face, although it was Maine that looked at her it was Sigma that spoke._

_ "Does that matter?" _

_ The next thing Carolina knew she was falling through darkness terror sinking deep into her bones._

* * *

Carolina shot up in her bed panting hard and covered in sweat. Her thoughts were racing as she recalled the nightmare that had been recurring with more and more frequency in the past months. Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself she looked over the clock on the bedside table. It read 10 o'clock at night, she had slept much longer than she had planned.

The images of her nightmare still fresh in her mind she swung her legs over the side of her bed placing her bare feet on the icy cold floor. The cooling sensation helped to ground her and her thoughts began to calm. With another deep breath she stood and made her exit of the room and traveled down the hall.

She stood outside Maine's room in the darkness of the infirmary, there was no light coming from the room indicating both Maine and Washington were likely asleep. Moving quietly she entered the room to see Washington slumped in his chair, his head lolling back as he snored quietly.

Placing her hand gently on his shoulder she shook him lightly. He stirred and blinked at her with an almost confused look on his face.

"Go get some rest Wash, I'll watch him for the rest of the night" she offered him speaking in a whisper so as not to wake Maine.

"What time is it?" he inquired rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Late, go get some sleep" it was more of an order than a request, he nodded through a yawn as he stood to leave.

"Alright…I'll see you tomorrow" and with that he was gone.

Carolina did not sit she just stood and watched Maine as he slept. This was something she had thought a lot about whenever she had those nightmares. She knew that it was only a dream, but something in her drove her to come in and check on Maine. Before when she had those nightmares she would just have to deal with the emotions that accompanied them, but now standing here, watching over him she felt herself become calmer then she had in quite some time.

Reaching out she gently cupped his face in her hand, and as he unconsciously turned into her touch any vestige of the nightmare disappeared. With a feather light touch she ran her thumb slowly up and down the pronounced scar that ran over his right cheek.

Did he really have those feelings for her? More importantly how did she feel? Her whole life had been about training and fighting and she had really never allowed herself any time to really think about that aspect of her life.

As Carolina looked at Maine he looked much like he had when they met after his induction into the program. Perhaps more tired, he had a few more scars, and looked a hell of a lot shaggier; 'We really need to get him trimmed up' she thought with a smile, but she stood by her assessment she had made upon first seeing him.

He was not a traditionally handsome man, while she would never say he was unattractive either, his features would be considered too fierce and strong for most women.

"But when have I ever been like most women?" she asked herself out load in a hushed tone. Upon realizing what she had just said, she found herself extremely grateful Maine was not awake to see her blush.

The more she dwelled on it, the more she found herself confused by the idea. This was uncharted territory for here and she did not know how to process these thoughts and feelings. Before long she found herself trying to compartmentalize and analyze everything she knew about Maine.

Maine was stalwart, loyal, and dependable but he also had a bit a temper and could be hard headed. He was tough and strong both mentally and physically. Maine had a lot of emotionally walls but she had found once you got past them he could be quite soft. But what did all this mean? These were facts about the man before her, but they did not answer her question, what was important when it was all said done was how did she feel in her heart.

She received her answer when Maine stirred under touch, his eyes opened just a sliver and their gazes met. When steel met with emerald her pulse quicken at the look his eyes. A small smile graced his lips as he looked up at her with pure adoration, as though he were looking upon an angel.

'Is he even awake?' she thought as he slowly raised his hand and gently gripped hers before closing his eyes and giving a gentle growl.

"…go back to sleep Maine, I'll be right here" she whispered calmly to him, before long his breath slowed down and he was once again fast asleep.

She processed what had just transpired; granted it was virtually nothing, just some eye contact and touching of hands. But that didn't stop her heart from racing, or do anything to quell the odd feeling in her stomach.

Leaning down she brought her face close to his, she could feel the heat from his breath as well as hear the pounding of his heart, or was that her heart? She could feel her face and ears burning as she drew closer to him, her eyes taking in every single detail of his face. Her lips were so close to his she could almost feel them on hers.

"What the hell am I doing?" she asked herself pulling back exasperated with herself, she was a soldier not some giddy school girl.

She sat down letting out a deep sigh and composing herself. This was clearly going to be a long night, but she couldn't help but smile to herself as she watch Maine sleep quietly. Gingerly she took his hand in hers, whispering a quietly to the sleeping man.

"…Maybe one day big guy…right now, I just want you to get better"

When Carolina drifted off to sleep in the early morning hours her dreams were not haunted by fire and fear, only the calming scent of pine and leather and the sound of gentle growls.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Longest chapter to date, there is a little more action in this chapter, I hope you enjoy it, as always be sure to let me know what you think.**

This was a bad idea…no he took that back; the time her got drunk and Wash convinced him to try and eat fifteen pounds of bacon or when South dared him to drink a bottle of hot sauce were bad ideas. As he Maine stared out the rear bay door of a pelican piloted by some of the dumbest soldiers he had ever met traveling at sub sonic speeds clad in a patch work of poorly fitting armor pieces did it strike him, this plan wasn't just bad is was just plain stupid.

As they sped towards their destination he could hear Tucker talk to the A.I that was going to execute the maneuver.

"You sure you can do this Freckles? I don't want to wind up as some smear on the side of the building"

"Affirmative Captain Tucker"

"Okay…You ready for this big guy?" he shouted back to Maine over the roar the engines, who simply nodded in response.

"Alright, let's do this"

The moment he was finished the engines died and the occupants felt weightless for a moment before all the right thrusters fired at once spinning the pelican violently, the centrifugal force flinging Maine out like MAC round. As the massive man shot toward the plate glass windows of the Charon building he silently began to think how he had gotten himself into this mess.

* * *

When Maine woke up that morning neither Carolina nor Washington was there, he was hardly surprised by this, as he knew at some point they would have to stop watching over him, and now that the worst was behind him it hardly necessary for him for either of them to keep vigil over him.

All that being said he still found it comforting when he would wake up to the sight of his friends. After what he suffered, to be able to look upon familiar faces helped to anchor him. He didn't think anything was out of the ordinary until he the voice of Tucker arguing with a woman who went by Kimball. He didn't pay much mind to it until he heard mention of Carolina and Washington.

"There is no room for discussion on this Tucker, this is a black op and no offense but your team…" her train of thought was cut off by a load crash followed by the distance shouting of Caboose.

"It wasn't me…but sorry"

"I rest my case Captain Tucker"

"You can't just expect us to sit here while our friends are out there risking their necks!" he was practically shouting at her at this point.

"That is exactly what I expect you to do, and I don't want to hear about this again" and with that she turned her back and walked away, she held no real authority over the Reds and Blues but she and Doyle were in charge of all other military operation on Chorus, so without their okay they were grounded.

Upon hearing that Washington and Carolina were out on a mission; likely obtaining intel, Maine forced himself onto his feet. His muscles screamed in protest 'I was supposed to start physical therapy today anyway' he thought to himself as he made his way to his room's door.

Reaching his first goal with a huff he leaned against the door way as he heard the exchange between Tucker and the arriving Reds.

"Any luck with Doyle?"

"Afraid not son, unfortunately he and Kimball agree on this one" Sarge informed him dejectedly.

"Screw those guys let's just steal a pelican and go, we've done it before" Grif offered up.

"Yeah last time we did that we crashed it, and this we are definitely going to need a fast way out…we need a pilot who knows what they're doing" Tucker was right and they all knew it.

After thinking on it for a while no one was able to come up with anything, that is until Caboose spoke up.

"What about Freckles?"

"You mean the murderous MANTIS A.I? What about him" Grif questioned, but it was Simmons who answered.

"That's it! Don't see, if we download Freckles into a pelican he can pilot it for us…maybe…Caboose can he fly a pelican?"

"…yes" he answered after a silence much to long for anyone's comfort but it was their only option, they weren't about to let their friends tackle this alone.

Washington and Carolina were the best soldiers among them but, they had almost been killed pulling Maine out of Charon's lab and their luck could only hold out for so long.

"So it's decided, lets head out" Tucker ordered much to Sarge's displeasure, as he turned to head to the hanger they group came face to face the towering form of Maine who let out an aggressive growl. Before anyone could ask Caboose offered up a translation.

"He says he coming too"

"You're insane you can barely stand" Tucker countered but Maine would not be deterred.

"Perhaps I can be of some help" they group turned to see Dr. Grey speaking. "I have a muscle stimulation system that is used to help with muscle atrophy; normally over the course of several weeks, but I believe if we were to…crank it up to eleven, I could get Agent Maine in combat form to help you out with your little mission at least for today" she finished cheerily.

"Why help us?" Tucker inquired.

"I firmly believe that you lot will do whatever you like regardless of what we do to try and stop you, so I have elected to at least try and ensure that my patient comes back in one piece, but I must warn you Agent Maine the process will be quite painful"

Maine did not hesitate for a moment before making to follow the doctor for his treatment. Once they arrived at the therapy wing the doctor began to fiddle with what he assumed was the stimulator, when she noticed his inquisitive look she explained she was 'removing safety measures'. A short time later she began attaching large pads over his bulky frame before offering him pains meds for the procedure which he declined, he needed to stay sharp for what was coming.

"Are you ready?" she asked with a twinge of concern in her voice, he nodded and ground his teeth on the leather belt she had given him to bite on so would not bite his tongue off.

She gave him a quick warning she activated the muscle stimulator and the electric charge shot through his muscle. She had been right it hurt like a bitch, but it was nothing compared to what he had endured during his time as Charon's lab rat. This continued for several minutes as he felt his muscles contract and release under the electrical stimulate.

Finally the power was turned off and Maine slumped over thankful that the ordeal was over. He may have lived through worse but that did not mean he enjoyed it. He only received a moment of relief before he felt a needle jab into his neck and he was injected with a cool substance.

"Adrenaline, it'll help you through the worst of the pain since you refuse to take any pain medication, but I warn you it will wear off long before you see combat, you will be quite sore for a while"

Maine simply nodded, pain had been a very large part of his life for a while, and he would cope. He began to leave when Dr. Grey spoke to him, her normal chipper tone gone as it always was whenever she had to address something seriously.

"Agent Maine before you go I would like to caution you, you are walking back into the hands of those who…altered you. If those nanites were indeed a failsafe there is a very good chance they will be activated when you come into range of Charon technicians, the distance between you and them may be the only thing keeping you alive, it is only a theory but it is also a very real possibility" she poke solemnly but evenly, and Maine simply nodded before heading to the armory to patch together some form of decent armor.

* * *

As Maine boarded the Pelican they were about to commandeer he received a great many looks from the forces assembled. It was likely due to a combination of his size and the odd assortment of armor he wore.

The armory had nothing that fit him properly so had to make due with a Kevlar vest with ceramic scales that strained over his massive chest and other pieces of armor he had strapped to his person with medical restraints use to detain volatile patients.

It was clearly less than ideal, his arm were expose and the jury rigged armor did not offer a great deal of protection and limited his movements but he would have to make due.

He did however take solace in his familiar domed helmet covering his face and the six foot long brute shot that he held loosely at his side, its weight granting him some small comfort.

Taking his seat near the rear of the craft he heard the Reds and Blues bumbling at the front of the craft trying to get the A.I dubbed Freckles into the ships interface, rolling his eyes Maine tried to mentally prepare for what they were about to undertake. He had not been active for over two years, even longer if you take into account the fact he had not be master of his own body for the years prior.

His thoughts were interrupted however by a sudden jolt as the pelican's jets fired without warning and began to drift to the side causing panic to erupt in the hanger knocking over crates and scattering personal, as the A.I took control and shot out like a bullet knocking the standing Reds and Blues on their asses.

"Well…that went better than I thought it would honestly" Grif quipped making Maine roll his eyes once more the thought of 'What have I gotten myself into?' crossed his mind as they raced towards their destination.

As they traveled Maine did his best to tune out the insensate babble and bickering between the Reds and Blues but the complaints of Grif whining about his "Grifshot" cut through his thoughts until a well-placed growl shut him up.

Working hard to calm his mind and stop the involuntary shaking in his right leg; why the hell he was so nervous he had been in a hundred firefights, but he could not quell his nerves. His throat was bothering him to for some reason, it hadn't felt like this for years for some reason the scar felt fresher, but he dismissed it as a trick his mind was playing on him.

Any progress he had made with calming himself was shattered when they received a distress call and the voice was a familiar one to Maine.

"Come in command this is Agent Washington, we have been discovered and we are in need of emergency extraction!"

"Yo Wash we're already on our way"

"Tucker?! Please tell me you're not coming alone…how the hell are you flying? None of you know how to pilot a pelican!" his distress was quite evident.

"Don't worry Wash we've got Freckles steering this thing" he said in a chipper tone.

"You've got to be kidding me, fine what's your ETA?"

"About ten minutes"

"Carolina and I are on the sixtieth floor of the Charon complex, there are heavy machine guns on the roof so you need to find a way into their security control room and shut them off or else that bird will be torn apart before you can get close, I'm sending you building schematics now"

"Don't worry Wash we'll figure something out"

"That's what I'm afraid of" he said disconnecting the feed.

"Hey Maine…how do you feel about heights?" he asked turning to the sitting giant.

* * *

And so here he was hurtling towards a wall of glass and steel. Raising his arms and covering his head he struck the glass with such force he did not even fell the impact and only heard the sound of shattering glass.

There were shouts of surprise below him as he flew overhead. As he hit the floor instinct kicked in and he rolled effortless and was back on his feet in seconds. Pulling his bruteshot from his back and unloading it into the unfortunate souls before him.

As he cut down the security force he felt a strange calmness wash over him. This was where he was supposed to be on the battle field doing what he did best. As the smoke from his assault cleared he took note that none of his enemies were left and turned to head to goal.

The control room had been easy enough to find and he met with little resistance; likely due to the focus being on Carolina and Washington, with the thoughts of his friends in mind he kicked the door in with mighty boot, the men inside didn't have time to react before the blade of Maine's bruteshot separated their heads from their necks.

The panel before him met with a similar fate. Maine was of the school of thought that "If the only tool you have is a hammer, treat every problem like a nail" and it paid off. The icons displaying the buildings automatic turret defense blinked red indicating their shut down.

Maine however quickly realized he never took the time to find out where Carolina and Washington were before destroying their systems. Before he could get too angry with himself this problem was quickly rectified by the sound of gun fire above him and the muffled shouts of men fighting.

Without a second thought Maine unloaded the explosive rounds from his personal cannon into ceiling causing the concrete to crumble and fall. A single solider fell from the hole Maine had crated in the ceiling, he let a startled shout before he was silence by Maine's massive blade. There were murmurs of confusion as Maine leapt up and grabbed the edge of his improvised opening, swinging his body he hurled himself to the next floor, and again he heard the shouts of surprise but the men could not react fast enough.

Planting his feet wide Maine flipped his trademark weapon and gripped the barrel in his vice like hold. He reeled back building up tension in his muscles before they sprang back like a bear trap causing his body to uncoil and creating an arch of death with his bruteshot which he now wielded like a battle axe, the fight was short, none of them had seen it coming. As the smoke cleared he heard the sound of a surprised and familiar voice.

"Holy shit…Maine, is that you" Washington shouted running up to his friend who was still supposed to be in the infirmary. While he sounded worried there was also a hint of excitement as well, but that could not be said for Carolina.

"What are you doing here Maine, you should be resting, you're going get yourself killed" while her tone was enraged it was clear she was coming from a place of concern.

Maine couldn't help but smirk behind his visor, standing here getting chewed out by Carolina was about the closest thing he knew to normal.

"Look Carolina what's done is done, he's hear now let's take out intel and get the hell out of dodge"

"No…we have something else we need to get before we can leave" Carolina responded turning to face Washington "Come on Maine, if your here you're gonna help" her authority was without question as she took off at a brisk jog towards their next target. Maine and Washington exchanged glances before following after her.

"Just like the good old days huh big guy?" Washington joked as they followed their leader, Maine growled in agreement. "By the way nice armor" this joke earn Washington a much more aggravated growl from the much larger man, but he laughed all the same.

* * *

As they moved through the enemy's territory the former freelancers seemed to act as though it had not been years since they had fought as a unit. There were no words exchanged between them, there was no need they all knew how they needed act and what needed to be done, it was just like Washington had said, just like old times.

They met with very little resistance as they made their way towards their target, and although no said it they all found it quite disconcerting. Not two minutes ago they had been pinned down by the superior numbers of Charon's security force, but now the halls seemed practically empty.

Upon reaching the massive doors that marked the entrance to their goal Carolina set Epsilon; who had been uncharacteristically quiet, to work on cracking the lock.

"I don't like this, we should have met with some forces by now, Epsilon can you get a read on any enemy forces?"

"Sorry Carolina, it seems that these Charon pricks have taken precautions against me hacking there security systems, it seems like they've gotten wise to you using an A.I"

"Can you still crack this lock?"

"Give me a little credit here Carolina I'll have this door open…" he was cut off by the sound of the giant metal doors sliding open to relieve what looked like the remainder of Charon's security team garrisoned around their goal. "…in no time, well…shit" he cursed but it was drowned out by the thunderous booming of dozens upon dozens of battle rifles firing at them.

The three of them took what cover they could get as the bullets whizzed past them, this was bad and they all knew it.

"Epsilon anything you can give us?!" Carolina shouted over the roaring assault.

"Give me a second, luckily they haven't locked down their building schematics…okay, there is a structural weakness the ceiling a well-placed explosive shot should bring it down"

"Maine?" she inquired but he shook his head, of course he would be out.

"Well we need to come up with something fast, their starting to advance" Washington shouted between taking pot shots the enemy moving steadily closer.

Carolina's mind was racing, they needed to act fast.

"Wash call Tucker tell them to get the pelican ready, have them bring it up in five minutes"

"They'll be torn apart, they have enough fire power out there to cut this building down if they wanted"

"Just do it I have an idea….Maine how's your arm?" her question confused him for a moment before he nodded and though she couldn't see his face she could swear he was grinning.

Carolina took stock of what she had, two grenades, half a clip in her DMR and her magnum. It was not ideal but it would have to do. Taking a deep breath she pulled the pin on one her grenades and tossed it high in the air, its explosion would only provide a moment of cover but it would do.

The boom of the grenade was her signal, and instantly both she and Maine burst from behind their cover. His massive hand gripped hers and with one great rotation he spun her with no effort and hurled her into the air towards her target.

She knew this maneuver would draw fire towards her and there would be no room for error. These guys were terrible shots but put enough bullets down range and you were bound to hit something. As she flew towards her mark she pulled the pin of her second and final grenade.

Carolina slammed into the ceiling feet first, without missing a beat she jammed the live grenade into a now visible crack and leapt away from coming explosion.

As the grenade detonated the ceiling collapse just as Epsilon had predicted taking out a good deal of the enemy forces, but she fell she felt a round impact with her side. The force causing her to lose control of her decent and she began to tumble.

There was nothing she could do to right herself in time. Her only option was to brace for the impact and hope none of the remaining security force would be able to get shot off before she recovered. She braced herself but the impact never came, instead of hitting concrete she felt a pair of massive arm catch her and set her no to gently on her feet, but it was better than the alternative.

She looked up at the man who had caught her, she knew who it was before even laying eyes upon him but she needed to make sure. Maine had never been that fast before, but there he was next to her as they returned fire on their enemies, but there was no time to dwell on that now.

They were still outnumbered but at least the odds were better now. As the former freelancers picked off the now disorganized security force they heard the roar of the pelican engines as it came up in front of the windows, and without warning Grif shouted over the radio.

"SURPRESSING FIRE" and the pelicans chain gun unloaded on the remainder of the security forces shattering the glass and cutting them down like wheat. Over the blaring gun you could just make out Washington shouting over his radio.

"GRIF! GODDAMIT GRIF STOP SHOOTING!"

"Okay, okay jeez…you're welcome by the way"

"Remind me to thank you later, now turn that bird around, so we can board I'm sure after that little show reinforcements are sure to be on their way"

"And you'd be right Wash, it looks like Charon has a few gunships inbound, ETA about fifteen minutes" Epsilon confirmed Washington's concerns.

"Well still have to pick up the package, it's in this room somewhere" Carolina reminded them all of their mission.

Washington was about to argue with her but he decided against it, he knew how important it was to procure this target. It represented the single largest amount of freelancer tech that Charon had been able to obtain up until this point, and they could not allow it to remain in their possession.

They searched for only a few minutes before they located they target. It was large rectangular container that looked much like a casket. Moving quickly the three of them moved the massive container into the pelican barley managing to secure it before Freckles decided to take off.

"Mission accomplished" Washington said with a satisfied smile as they returned to base, and although he was correct and the mission had been a success Carolina's face held a grim look and she did not say a single word the whole way back.

* * *

The moment the Pelican landed in the base both Kimball and Doyle were there waiting for the Reds and Blues. The moment they disembarked the two leaders began to lay into them for taking a pelican without authorization, not that it did much to affect them as Tucker answered with "Hey it worked didn't it" but this only served to infuriate them further.

"I better go check on them" Washington said a small hint of a chuckle to Carolina before heading off towards the now escalating shouting match.

While Washington found this particular situation with the Reds and Blues humorous, Carolina had a bone to pick with a particular giant. As Maine slowly excited the ship Carolina gripped him by the arm and lead him around the side of the pelican so she could speak to him in private. Taking in a deep breath before speaking and letting it out in a long sigh.

"Maine…what the hell is wrong with you?!" though her voice was low the anger was quite apparent. But Maine only smirked at her and took all her self-control not to deck him "You think this is funny?! You could have died out there, you were in no condition to leave the base let alone get involved in a fire fight!" she hissed at him ignoring the prickling in the corner of her eyes.

Seeing the look in Carolina's eyes Maine's face lost its smirk and morphed to a look of regret. He had never meant to make her worry but he could not let himself sit idly by while she risked her life. Thinking back on it he would have done the same thing again, his thoughts were interrupted when he felt himself being pulled down by his vest by Carolina who was now looking him dead in the eye.

"We just got you back Maine…I just got you back, and I don't want to lose" her voice shuddered and was barely above a whisper. Her words sounded tender but her face was set and serious. "That being said…" she cut herself short leaning close to him placing her lips tenderly on his cheek for a gentle kiss.

"Thanks for catching me"

If Carolina had been unsure of herself before she certainly wasn't now, she decided the risk was well worth it seeing the dopey look of surprise of his face as it turned beat red. She couldn't help but smirk to herself as she strutted away from the stunned giant.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Sorry for the delay and for the shortness of the chapter. I have been rather busy as of late. I was recently recruited to be the new writer for Maine in The Freelancer Collaboration stories, and I have been spending much of time catching up on their chapters and starting my contribution. **

**So here is my newest chapter, I will warn you that there parts where Carolina is little out of character but there is a reason. Any way I hope you enjoy this chapter and as always be sure to let me know what you think.**

Maine was getting sick of the infirmary and everything in it. He had just spent more than a week bed ridden and now that he had been back in action he was once again confined to a bed a Dr. Grey ran numerous tests on him, he took a small amount of solace in the fact that he was no doubt going to be held in the medical ward for much longer.

Much to his surprise he was actually felling quite well. He had a few nicks and scratches but he did not feel the familiar soreness in his bones or the pain Dr. Grey had warned him of before his admittedly ill-conceived stunt. He found the whole thing odd but he was not about to start to complain about a lack of pain.

"Well Agent Maine I have concluded my examination and I must say you are in fine shape. You're actually looking better than you did before you left, my scans show your muscle tissue have no traces of lactic acid, your heart rate is actually slower than your baseline from the last week for some reason, and your bones seem denser, almost like they have been microscopically fractured and heal multiple time, very odd considering the Ceramic Ossification…"her words feel into a distant buzzing as Maine tuned her out as she continued to list the strange occurrences of his recovery.

He thought on it for a moment, he was no doctor but he was sure that his recovery was well beyond the norm, even with what Dr. Grey had done for him to get him in fighting form for his impromptu mission he should not have been this well, and even the doctor was confused. That's when a thought occurred to him and he let out a growl to obtain Grey's attention.

"Yes Agent Maine" there was a slight edge in her tone, obviously not to fond of him interrupting her. He ignored her tone and quickly scrawled a note on a scrap piece of paper and handed it to the doctor. She read what he had written and a realization dawned on her.

"Of course, how did I not think of it before?" she said excitedly more to herself as she when her blood samples she had taken from him moments ago and examined them under a microscopes "Of course they were not a failsafe…it was augmentation" she mumbled to herself before doing an in depth scan of whatever she had found.

"Of course, this explains why you recovered so quickly and why you feel no soreness. These nanites appear to have a biological repair directives, they repair damaged tissue; they also must be what removed any of the acid in your muscles, those fools at Charon had no idea what they were doing." She rambled excitedly at Maine who simply raised an eyebrow not quite sure what she meant when she spoke of his former captors.

"They had you hormones all out of sorts, by placing the production unit for these nanites in your adrenaline glands they meant for them produced under time of great duress; such as the mission you were just one, but since your endocrine system was not acting normally while you were held by them they were never properly activated" Maine simply stared at her not fully understanding what she was taking about.

With an exasperated sigh she lifted Maine's right arm and pointed to what had once been a relatively deep; though non-threatening, cut was now just a scratch.

"Charon gave you healing nanites" she spoke finitely "Though I do not yet know how much they can repair, and I do not know how they will interact with the other augmentations but this will no doubt increase you natural physicality in almost all areas" Maine could almost see the grin behind her visor, and continued to simply stare at her. After a moment she simply sighed and turned to leave.

"You clearly do not comprehend the significates of this revelation…well at any rate you appear to be well enough to be discharged. I will contact you when I finish running tests on your biological samples, hopefully I'll find a few more surprises" she said a little too happily for Maine's liking, he personally didn't like the idea of Charon's experimental substances coursing through him. "I'll have someone bring you a change of clothes so you can get out of that…getup you've assembled, and they can direct you to where you will be staying for the duration of your time with us" and with that slightly snarky comment she was gone.

* * *

Maine tugged at the neck of the shirt that was brought to him as he marched through the compound; he'd have to talk to someone about the lack of attire in his size, he made his way towards what was supposed to be his lodgings. The whole situation felt surreal to him, it was almost like back at the project. No one ran in fear from him, he was just another solider in this war, and if he didn't dwell too much on it he almost felt normal again…almost.

Lost in his train of thought he turn the corner of the corridor and came face to face with Carolina and Washington, the two were dressed down to civvies and carrying large bottles filled with clear liquid. Carolina sent him an almost smug grin that caused Maine's face to flush rather uncharacteristically.

"There he is, all hail the conquering hero!" Wash said loudly with a goofy smile plastered on his face as he tossed one bottles to Maine, who caught it handily before examining the label which read 'Imperial Vodka' "Just like old times huh big guy, seriously though you guys really saved out asses"

Wash's tone was cheery and all Maine could think of was how it really was just like back at the project…except there were a few people missing. At this thought Maine's mind immediately soured, it must have shown as Carolina was quick to change the subject away from Project Freelancer.

"Come on, let's go sit down I'm sore and I need a drink" she spoke in an almost chipper tone shaking her own bottle at Maine earning her a slight grin. "You're lucky you just got out the infirmary, you know how much I hate drinking this paint stripper" this comment got a chuckle out of Maine and Washington as the two followed their longtime leader to their destination.

* * *

Maine had always had an abnormally high tolerance for alcohol; even for a man his size, and that coupled with his augmentations, it took a good deal to get him drunk. But apparently those nanites Dr. Grey had found not only repaired damage, but made it impossible for him to get anything above a slight buzz. He realized this with a huff as he tossed his fifth bottle of Vodka into a bin with an accuracy that should not have been possible for a man who had consumed as much as he had.

The same level of tolerance could not be said for Wash and Carolina, who were trying to keep pace with Maine with little success. While the augmentation they received at the project had increased their tolerance, it was clear that the other former agents were quite intoxicated.

Carolina's face was flushed and she was speaking oddly, but she would not have appeared all that drunk to those who did not know her. Wash on the other hand was trying the hardest to not fall out the chair was sitting in.

"The damn thing keeps spinning, it's not my fault" he shouted at Carolina who was trying and failing to stifle a laugh.

"That chair is bolted to the floor, you're the one spinning" Carolina shot back as Wash finally fell from his precarious perch and smacked into the floor causing both Maine and Carolina laugh at his misfortune. Wash stared up at the others in daze from his spot on the floor.

"…The hell are you still sober? You drank more than either of us" he mumbled to Maine who simply shrugged not really feeling like trying to explain what had been done to him while the other two were in less than sober.

Maine wasn't sure if Wash even saw the gesture as he soon heard deep snoring indicating that the man had passed out.

"Lightweight" Carolina chuckled as she stood up; a little shakily Maine noted, and pulled a pillow from her bunk and placed in under Wash's head. She then turned to face Maine with grin spread across her face and slowly made her way over to wear the large man was seated. While her face was flushed from her drink, Maine's was flushed from the look she gave him.

As she lean towards him slowly and Maine was certain his heart had jumped into his throat. His eyes scanned her the features, and although he had committed her face to his memory long ago he still found that whenever he looked at her his heart skipped a beat. But with that smile on her lips, he felt as though his heart was bound to rip right out of his chest.

As she drew closer to him he felt her hand run gently through his still shaggy hair. "You really need a haircut" she said through a chuckle shoving his head back playfully and stepping away from him, and he could have sworn she threw him a wink. "You know…you're pretty cute when you blush"

As she laughed off her comment Maine felt his ears burn as she turned away from him and wandered over to her dresser. This was a side of Carolina he had never seen before, sure they had drunken together before and he had seen her tipsy but this was something else. As Carolina rummaged through her belongings Maine couldn't help but take note of her…figure. He quickly averted his gaze as stood up holding something up triumphantly.

"I've got something for you" she tossed the small paper sleeve across the room to Maine who snatched it out of the air before examining it. It was a simple paper sleeve, but he felt something rigged inside of it. He quirked his eyebrow and tipped it upside down and out fell a disk with a word "ROBOCOP" printed across its surface. "I went back after the crash…you wanna watch it?" she asked as he looked up at her.

Maine was stunned for a moment as his thoughts drifted back to the night that had marked a distinct turn in their relationship. He had shared this with her, he had told her about his past, about Halsey. This disk represented more than a hokey satire from centuries ago, it represented the first time in his life he had let anyone past his defenses, and the memory made him smile, he gave her a curt nod as he handed her the disk.

Carolina happily took the disk and placed it into a familiar media reader that Maine was certain she had also found on the Mother of Invention. She pressed play and sauntered over to the couch where Maine sat and plopped herself down unceremoniously next to him her head finding its way to his shoulder as she let out a sigh.

"I'm really happy you're here Maine" she whispered quietly as her hand found its way to his and grasped it gently, as she drifted off to the sounds of a familiar score.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: And I'm back, I apologize for the long wait for an update, and I thank you all who have been stuck with me and have reviewed and favorited this story. Reviews are the fuel that keep me writing, so as always be sure to let me know what you think.

* * *

The next morning Maine woke up to find himself on couch where he and Carolina had been the night before. Upon examining himself he found the sleeping form of Carolina draped across his chest, her breath steady an accompanied by a soft snoring. He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face as he gingerly dislodged himself from her, being careful not to wake her. Laying her down gently he covered her with a blanket and let her sleep.

'If anyone needs their rest it's her' he thought to himself as subconsciously reached out to gently brush a stray strand of hair from her face. As he did so the tips of his fingers ghosted across her cheek and she turned into the touch. For a moment he worried that he had woken her, but this was put to rest by her continued snoring. Satisfied that she wouldn't wake up Maine turned to leave stepping over the still unconscious Washington.

Upon exiting the room Maine immediately regretted not at least finding his room the previous night before following his friends to Carolina's room. But the idea of reconnecting with an old tradition had swept that thought away and now he found himself wandering the base trying his damnedest to remember the directions he had received the previous night.

He meandered through the concrete halls for some time before he came to what he hoped was his lodgings. He wrapped on the door with his knuckles to see if anyone were inside. When no answer came he slid the door open and was greeted by the sight of a sparsely furnished room; much like Carolina's, which looked as though no one had been there for quite some time.

After a quick cursory glance around the dwelling his eyes fell upon something that confirmed that this was indeed where he was going to be staying.

On top of a simple desk pressed against the back wall was the familiar domed face of his EVA helmet staring at him. He crossed the room and lifted it and stared intently at his face reflected in the mirrored visor. He had to agree with Carolina, he felt as though the shaggy hair and scruffy beard that had grown did not suit him very well and had not yet had a chance to remove to offending hair from his head.

'No time like the present' he thought and mad his way to the tiny washroom provided for him. It may have been cramped for someone of his size but it had a sink, toilet, and shower and serve his purposes just fine.

Opening one of drawers below the sink and found a pair of clippers with a small sticky note attached to it reading "Thought you might need this" and was signed with a simple ~W.

He couldn't but smirk at this as he plugged the trimmer in. It began to buzz when he flipped the switch, he placed it against his temple and drew it back along the curve of his skull with a practiced ease. The hair fell away leaving only short stubble where there hand once been at least five inches of unkempt locks.

He repeated the process a little higher up and brought the trimmers all the way back to the base of his neck. He tilted his head to the side to ensure he had not missed any patches. As he did so he brought the clippers up to the crown of his head getting ready to cut another strip of the offending mess off his head, when he suddenly stopped noticing a small black mark barley poking out from underneath the still shaggy hair on his head, his heart was now racing.

Placing the clippers down, he leaned closer to the mirror and parted the hair on the back of his head. How had he forgotten about it? On the back of skull, hardly visible beneath his parted hair was the mark of The META. The symbol Sigma had created still sat upon his body, and he was not about to let everyone see it again.

But he was not about to leave half his head shaved and the rest a matted mess. Taking the clippers in his hand once again he touched up the side he had started on before setting to work on the other side, working much slower this time, his hand still shaking from the memory of Sigma.

Before long he had evened out the side and cut a good deal of the length off the top of his head, leaving him with a strip of hair that ran over the top of his head to the base of his skull.

He had never been a fan of Mohawks before, but it would serve its purpose until he had the damn thing removed. Trying to not dwell to long on that portion of his past he set to work on trimming the his beard, which had grown longer than it had ever been at any point in his life.

He had opted to leave his beard having only trimmed it back to a respectable stubble. He could not quite bring himself to shave it off, the thought of looking at his face as he recalled it during those shattered years under Sigma's control made him shudder slightly.

The task was finished quickly and Maine took in his appearance. It may not have been a look he was particularly fond of, but it served its purpose and looked much more presentable now that he had trimmed up. Satisfied with the work done he jumped in the shower to wash off before heading back out.

Maine exited the compact wash room clean and changed. As he sat down to put his boots on he noticed something he hadn't before. There was small piece of paper on the desk where his helmet, his curiosity piqued he pick it up and read the carefully and neatly written message on it.

Dear, Agent Maine

I hope you are feeling better today. I am writing to inform you I have concluded my tests on the nanites extracted from your blood sample, and I must say what I have found is quite impressive. Please contact me at your earliest convince so that I may go over the details with you, and run further tests to try and discovered the extent of you augmentation. I hope you are doing well, and I hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely, DR. Grey

He couldn't help but let out an exasperated sigh, the woman somehow managed to come off as intently chipper even when she was writing. If he was completely honest with himself, he didn't really care what augmentations were force upon him. What brought his blood to a boil was the fact that they had used him as a lab rat. He would just as soon put the whole incident in the past and not talk about, with the obvious exception of killing those who had experimented on him.

Maine rubbed his eyes tiredly, this was getting him nowhere. He knew Carolina and Wash had a plan to take out Charon, he would get his revenge and working himself up about it was not going to do anyone any good, but that did not keep the thoughts from creeping back to the forefront of his mind. He let out another sigh as he stood up deciding to go see if Wash and Carolina were awake yet.

He found the pair rather quickly, he spotted them on their way to the mess hall. Carolina was helping a clearly hung over Washington on his path. Maine could hear him mumble "How come you never get hung over" to Carolina, who replied with a small chuckle before calling him a lightweight.

The pair stopped at the sight of the newly trimmed up Maine. Carolina appraised his new look with a quirked eyebrow, but Washington was the first to speak.

"That's a good look…I see you found the clippers I left you" he said with a slight smirk earning him an annoyed huff from Maine. His smile quickly vanished as his hangover caught up with him again, and this time it was Maine's turn to smirk.

"We were just on our way to get some breakfast, have you eaten yet?" Carolina inquired her voice causing Wash to groan asking her to please not to yell, earning a snort from the woman and a small chuckle from Maine. With that the three of them made their way to the mess hall.

The three freelancers had just sat down to enjoy their meal when they heard a familiar and chipper voice.

"Ah agents Carolina, Washington, and Maine how fortunate to find all of you here together" Dr. Grey spoke to them her voice carrying its normal happy cadence.

"What can we do for you doctor? "Carolina responded, her tone respectful but still holding a slight edge of irritation.

"Well I thought you would like to know that we have managed to decode the lock on the chest you retrieved from Charon and we should have it opened momentarily, and I would also like to inform Agent Maine that I have concluded his tests" she spoke turning from Carolina to Maine "And if it is alright with you I would like to run some scans while you are in combat" this time she turned from Maine to Carolina.

It was clear from the way she was speaking that she intended for Carolina to get Maine into a sparring match. The two freelancers exchanged glances before shrugging at each other.

"Fine, well come find you once we're done with breakfast" Carolina spoke with a tone of disinterest, if Dr. Grey had noticed she had chosen to ignore it as she happily thanked them as she left.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean you just got out of the hospital" Washington asked Maine his voice laced with concern.

"Grey says he's okay, he's okay" Carolina answered for him smirking across the table at Maine who grinned back as he raised his fist and thumped himself on the chest earning a soft chuckle from Carolina.

"Yeah, yeah I know" she replied as she tucked into her breakfast.

"Are you two ever going to tell me what that means?" Wash asked and almost desperate tone to his voice. The other two freelancers exchanged glances before looking back to their friend.

"Probably not" Carolina laughed her response much to Washington's dismay.

'So, here we are again' Carolina thought to herself as she stood in the arena watching as Maine entered what would soon become their sparring arena. Even from across the room she could tell Maine was not particularly happy about all the sensors Dr. Grey had placed on his. She had assured him that they would not interfere with his movements, but that did not mean that they weren't irritating.

As Maine drew closer Carolina began to examine him on instinct, searching her opponent for anything she could use to help her win. While still gigantic and thickly muscled, she did take not that he was somewhat thinner than she recalled. 'That's from his containment no doubt' but she dismissed this line of thought quickly she had to focus on her match. Just like their first fight they would be fighting with no armor, and she remembered how close he had come to beating here that time.

'He has less body mass, he should be easier to move now' she ticked this off in her mind as Maine stopped in front of her and cracked his neck followed by his knuckles smirking at her.

"I'm not going easy on you big guy, I will break your arm again if I have to" she said through a laugh. It was a half joke, they both knew she would break bones sparring if she needed to, and Maine was no different.

As they're laughs turned to chuckles they both sunk into their stances and waited for the signal to being.

After what seemed like hours they heard the blare of a horn signaling the beginning of their match and both charged one another.

Carolina was surprised at how quickly Maine closed the distant, but she readjusted and sunk to her knees and smoothly slid under one of Maine haymakers before swiftly popping back to her feet and with a practiced ease swung her foot over her head and brought her heel down in a savage axe kick aim between the large man's shoulder blades in the hope of forcing him forward and knocking him off balance.

But instead of connecting with her mark, her heel was batted away by a massive hand as Maine turned on his heel with an agility he had never processed before. To Carolina it looked as though Maine had even surprised himself, but his thoughts did not linger on this odd increases in agility as he went on the offensive.

In an instant Carolina was put on the defensive to an extent she had never experienced before. Maine's attacks were wide but swift, it was all Carolina could do to dodge and slips his jabs. She had only felt this powerless once before in her life, but she would not let thoughts of that day poison her mind now. It didn't matter how fast Maine was now, he was still gigantic and that meant he still had to move all that mass. With a target that big there was bound to be an opening in assault, she just had less time to capitalize on it now.

After a short time she say it, he had a hitch in his right arm when he prepared to throw his right hook; likely from when she broke his elbow all those years ago, she had her opening now she just needed to capitalize.

Her opportunity presented itself as Maine drew his arm back, his arm hitched and she dove in to make her move. That half a second gave her enough time to slip his strike and get inside of his defense. Gripping her own fist for more leverage her whole torso twisted and then unwound at a blinding speed as she drove her elbow as hard as she could into Maine diaphragm.

Maine's breath hitched from the blow but did not wind him entirely as Carolina had planned, but without missing a beat she continued her assault. Spinning swiftly on her heel; expertly darting just out of Maine's attempt to grab her, she was now behind the massive man and leapt up and wrapped her arm around his neck sinking in a deep rear naked choke.

Carolina wrapped her legs around Maine's torso to keep from being thrown off, she realized almost too late that Maine had crouched down. She felt her opponent rocket up from the ground and tilt back. Carolina hastily released her choke and managed to kick off from Maine's back and just barely managed to escape being crushed under Maine's massive frame.

As she rolled to her feet she turned and saw Maine land loudly on his back with an enormous thud, and watched with an almost stunned expression as he rolled back, placed his hands on the ground and effectively launch himself back onto is feet. This fight had just gotten more intense.

"I guess I was hoping for too much to choke you out again" Carolina joked with a smirk plastered on her face.

Maine simply smiled back in response. After a brief moment of stillness the fight was back on in full force. A quick exchange of blows that was almost too fast to track when there was a thunderous thump and Carolina was lifted off the ground by one of Maine's uppercuts to her abdomen. As all the air was driven from her lungs, Carolina's perception of time seemed to slow.

'How the hell did Maine get so fast? Did they augment him that much?' but she had little time to process these thoughts as Maine's anvil sized crashed into her hastily raised guard.

She felt the hit rattle her whole skeleton, frankly she was lucky he hadn't broken her arm. Carolina felt herself get thrown back from the sheer amount of force the blow had delivered, but she managed to maintain her footing.

Even Maine seemed confused by the results of his assault. He had landed plenty of strikes on Carolina in previous matches while at project Freelancer, but none of them had ever had this kind of effect.

With her arms still tingling from Maine's attack she leapt to try and take advantage of momentary distraction. She knew it wasn't the most "honorable" thing, but Maine knew better than to let himself get distracted in a fight and she wasn't about to cut him any slack, and she knew he would have done the exact same thing.

She could almost see Maine mentally chastise himself for his mistake as she put him on the defensive. Carolina was able to successfully capitalize with serval well placed strikes to the inside of Maine's knees; a weak spot for anyone his size, with a small smile she watched him lose his normally solid footing and followed up with a flying knee to his jaw. On a less robust man this strike would have knocked them out cold, but it only served to stun the massive man. But it enough for her.

She quickly grabbed his left arm and wrapped it in a standing key lock and wretched hard. Much to her dismay and surprise she heard a sickening snap and she knew she had broken something. She had thought he would have defended against the lock, but it appeared Maine was more out of practice than she had thought.

Quickly moving away from the injured Maine, she thought for a moment if they should end their match but Maine put an end to that line of thought rather quickly.

Propping himself with his good arm, his leg shot out like a bullet and swept her feet out from underneath her. Cursing herself for getting distracted she tucked her chin as she landed and swiftly rolled back to her feet. 'Turnabout is fair play I guess' she thought as she slipped one of Maine jabs before trying to strike back with of her own.

She noted that Maine arm now daggled uselessly at his side as he pressed his attack, however unlike the first time she had broken his arm he was much more aware of the gab in his defense and he was able to properly defend against any attempt she made to exploit the opening. Their exchange of blows continued for a few moments before a voice rang out over the intercom in the training room.

"Agent Maine, I suggest we end this training session and tend to your arm your bio readings appear to be quite…" Doctor Grey never had the chance to finish as the pair continued to press one another, pushing one another to their limits.

Sweat was now running down Carolina's face as she just barely managed to deflect another strike from Maine. Her breath was starting to become labored and she felt herself beginning to lose ground as Maine continue to press forward.

That was when it hit her, it was like getting hit by a freight train and she was sent sprawling on the floor. She shook her head trying to clear the cobwebs, and mentally kicked herself for letting herself allow such an opening.

Maine had swung his damaged arm like a flail and landed a powerful haymaker to Carolina's jaw. She had foolishly dropped her guard on her right side not thinking about Maine's damaged arm and she had paid the price. As she regained her composure she felt Maine swiftly approaching and just barely managed to roll out of the way of a savage axe kick that managed to shatter the concrete of the training room floor.

Managing to get to her feet she resumed her fighting stance ready to continue the fight. But they were swiftly interrupted by the sound of opening doors, and they turned to see a rather disgruntled Doctor Grey approaching them.

"I do believe I said it was time to end this training session, and I would greatly appreciate the pair of you not righting off my medical expertise" she berated the two of them.

While Maine seemed to have the good graces to at least try and look apologetic, Carolina just raised an eyebrow before responding.

"With all due respect Doctor; while we appreciate what you have done, Maine and I are not like your normal patients. We know our limits and we know what we can handle, Maine and I have fought plenty of matches with broken bones and shattered joints before, and if he thinks he can keep fighting with a broken arm I think that it should be his call to make not yours" she said confidently. She truly appreciated what she had done for Maine and she was certain Maine did as well, it was just in this particular instance Carolina thought she may be overreacting a little.

"Is that so? Well why don't you take closer look at Agent Maine's arm" Grey responded the irritation clearly starting to show through.

Carolina did as asked, and at first she didn't see anything out of the ordinary; all things considered, but her eyes widened slightly when she noticed what Doctor Grey was talking about. While Maine's had been hanging limply at his side moments ago, now seemed stiff and ridged. But more shockingly there now seemed to be small black spurs were now protruding through his skin.

The look of shock on her face caused Maine to examine his own arm and his eyebrows shot up as he tried to move his arm only to find any articulation was not a possibility.

"Oh God…Maine I'm…" Carolina started to speak but did not finish before the large man was dragged off by Doctor Grey.

"You can apologize after I examine his arm and run my tests" Grey spoke sternly with the large man in tow.

A few hours later Doctor Grey had completed her test on Maine's condition, and she allowed Carolina and Washington in to see him and to inform them all of her finds.

"Well, I have completed my analyze of Agent Maine's new injury, and I must say the finding are quite interesting and worrisome." She spoke calmly as she took out her notes. "It was as I fear, with all the augmentation Charon forced upon Agent Maine it appears some of them do not "play well" with the others. The repair nanites attempted to repair Maine's injuries, but they are not built to deal the carbide ossification. When they tried to repair the broken joints and bones they seemed to cannibalize one another to try and supplement the inorganic components, and when they did they fused the joints and ending up building large spurs around the bone" she explained to them very clinically.

"So what does this mean long term?" Carolina asked the concern quite evident in her voice.

"Well, I can perform surgery to restore movement to Agent Maine's joints, but if he continues to take injuries like this I do not know if this will continue to be a viable option"

Carolina was visibly distressed that she had caused Maine so much trouble. Wash let out a sigh, but thanked the Doctor as she left to get ready to preform Maine's surgery.

"I'm going to let the reds and blue know what's going on" Carolina and Maine gave him a confused look "I know, I know, most of them don't care but I should keep them in the loop…plus Caboose seemed pretty upset when he heard Maine was back in the infirmary" he finished with a laugh as he turned to leave.

After the door closed Carolina turned back to the injured Maine.

"Maine… I'm so sorry about this…if I had known better than to push you like that so soon…" her apology was cut off by a gentle hand on her should.

She looked up at Maine who was shaking his head. Of course he didn't blame her, he never did, and he never let her blame herself for any of his personal misfortune. Even though he did not blame her it didn't do much to alleviate her guilt. She had broken his bones before, but this was something else entirely, she could have cost him the use of his arm for the rest of his life.

"No Maine this was fault, I should have known that you wouldn't have been at you best, but I didn't think about the fact you've only been back for a few days, I was only thinking about winning and I could have crippled you for the rest of your life" her voice was strained as she spoke, trying to contain an outburst. She turned her gaze to the floor, her guilt not allowing her to meet Maine's eyes.

A brief but awkward silence passed between them before Carolina felt a strong but gentle hand grip her and turn her to face Maine. She was greeted by a smirking Maine, who drew his hand back before forming a fist and thumping himself lightly on the chest.

At this Carolina couldn't but help and smile at the large man. She let out a small laugh the familiar signal.

"Yeah, yeah I know, too tough"


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Merry Christmas everyone, here's my next addition to my story. Sorry for the delay and thank you for those of you who have stuck with me. This is a slightly shorter chapter and it marks the beginning of the end of this tale I have spun. I have a pretty clear idea of how things are going to be going from here so hopefully my next updates will come faster, but as I'm sure many of you who write know writer's block can be a real bitch so I can't guarantee anything other than I promise this story will be finished. I would like to once more thank everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and followed and as always be sure to let me know what you think.

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"Squeeze," Maine did as he was asked, trying his damnedest to not break pressure sensor. "Good, now release," again Maine did as Dr. Grey asked.

Grey typed some notes into her log. This was starting to irritate him to no end as he let out a huff. She eyed him momentarily before going back to her work.

"Please squeeze again," she asked but this time there was a distinct crushing sound as Maine let his frustration get the better of him. Grey sighed as she picked up the damaged sensor and tossed it in the trash. "Well you'll be happy to hear that there has been no major loss of strength and dexterity to your arm and hand, you are at around ninety-eight percent, you should be back to one hundred percent after you get back into action. But I must caution you if this were to occur again I cannot guarantee the same result." Grey finished as she tidied up.

Maine rolled his eyes as he flexed and stretched his hand. He was well aware of the risks, but it was just something that came with territory of being a solider.

"Don't you roll your eyes at me," Grey said without turning around. Maine raised an eyebrow wondering just how she had been able to tell what his reaction was. "I'm serious Agent Maine, what do you think would happen if you were crack a rib or fracture your skull and those nanites made more of those carbide bone spurs?" she asked sternly. They both knew full well what would happen should either of those injuries should occur.

Maine reluctantly nodded at her and let out a sigh of exasperation. He knew full well he would need to be more aware of himself in combat now. His augmentations afforded him a lot of advantages, but this was a big drawback that could cause a relatively minor injury to become a terminal condition. Maine just didn't like the being reminded of it, worrying about it would only negatively affect him in the field.

"Glad to see you finally got some sense in your head, now I'd like go over some your vitals with you," she said her voice taking it's normal cheery tone. But before she could get into the more mundane aspects of Maine's post-surgery checkup a solider entered the room in a haste.

"Dr. Grey they managed to crack the code, I was told to come and get you right away,' he said hurriedly causing Grey to turn swiftly.

"It's about time. Agent Maine this will have to wait a little long to finish your appointment. I would however like for you to come with me, I would like a set of freelancer eyes on this," she spoke almost manically as she left and Maine jumped off the table to follow.

While the solider and Grey had a decent head start Maine's long strides quickly closed the distant. As he came within earshot he heard the pair of them talking.

"Have we made any progress in finding out what they actually have stored in that thing?" Grey inquired.

"No mam, the only information we have was what Carolina and Epsilon were able to obtain when they retrieved the cache," the young man replied swiftly.

"They haven't done anything yet, correct?"

"No mam they wanted to wait for you."

"Good, good. Any word from Carolina and Washington?"

"They are in route now."

"How did things go, did we get what needed?"

"Not sure, they didn't say, but the mumbles I've heard aren't good." He responded slightly dejected.

"That's unfortunate, hopefully this will mark a turning point," Grey's normally cheery tone echoing down the hall.

At this point Maine's mind shifted and he tuned out the conversation between the two in front of him. Part of him was relieved to know that both Carolina and Washington had come out of their mission unscathed. He would never had forgiven himself if something had happened to one of them while he was in recovery. But going on a mission down one arm was not wise and he was certain Carolina would have broken his other arm if he had tried. So while they were out there trying to get this "key" he was left behind.

But before too long the small group found themselves in the less than impressive research and development section of the base. In the center of the room stood the large container they had retrieved from Charon so shortly after he had been rescued from them.

"Are you ready to open it up doctor?" asked on one the many people poring over it.

"What's the ETA of Carolina and Washington?" she asked as she approached the container.

"About five minutes."

"We'll wait for them, no offence Agent Maine but I'd like as many Freelancer eyes on this and I'd rather start over once they get here," she finished happily.

Maine could not, for the life of him, figure out why she would think he would be offended. The tech of the project was not his specialty, he treated more like a weapon than a person at time so he did not have any great understanding of much of the projects technology. If it worked, it was good enough for him.

Grey buzzed around the room checking and double checking everything. But in almost no time at all the sound of the door opening behind them and the sound of several pairs of feet. Maine turned to face the group of Reds and Blues lead by the irritated trio of Carolina, Washington, and Kimball. Maine took note of the fact that Doyle was absent.

"Please tell me you have some good news," Carolina said exasperated as she took off her helmet.

"Indeed Agent Carolina, we have finally managed to crack the encryption that on the container you retrieved from Charon. We were just waiting for your arrival," Grey said unable to keep the excitement out her voice, and she quickly set to work on her data pad.

As she worked the air the tension in the air was palpable. They were finally going to find out what they had risked their necks for and what Charon was had fought so hard to keep from them. Maine took the brief time before the reveal to nudge Wash and gave a soft growl.

"Things didn't go well. Carolina's suit failed in the middle of a fight and Doyle got his hands on the key, but then…" Wash let out a sigh "He let Felix get his hands on it." Wash took a deep breath as he removed his helmet and rubbed his eyes.

That did not bode well. Carolina did not handle losing well. On top of all that the enemy now had what they needed to kill everyone on the planet. He hadn't been able to go on this particular mission but he knew the details and how important this key was. If Doyle were to die then it was essentially game over.

This train of thought was interrupted by the sound of steel grinding on steel as their prize was finally opening up. With excitement an almost a hint of trepidation Grey approached the container with the look of a child opening a gift on Christmas morning. The air was deathly quiet as they waited to see what hard fought prize they had obtained. The security, the building, and the almost insane level of the encryption this had to be something of great importance.

But when Grey turned around what she held was not what any of them had expect. It was an under suit, nothing more. The room was so quite you could hear a pin drop. Carolina walked over and gingerly took the suit and looked at it quietly.

"That's it…" she said in a voice just over a whisper. "IT WAS A GODDAMN DISTRACTION!" she shouted tossing the under suit. "JUST A FUCKING WASTE OF TIME!" she continued and threw her helmet and kicked the container.

Carolina had reached her limit, the key, her suit, the loss and now she found out they had risked their lives for nothing and had just spent weeks devoting a massive amount of effort to open this damn thing only to find out all their efforts had gained them nothing.

Maine walked up to Carolina, who was now breathing hard and clutching a table so hard he was certain she was going to dent it. Maine gingerly placed a hand on her shoulder only for her to shrug it off.

"I need to go train," she mumbled as she walked briskly out of the room. Maine watched her go slightly dejected, but he understood.

"Don't take it personally big guy, she's had a pretty rough day," Wash said patting him on the shoulder.

Maine growled in agreement as he turned to the now discarded suit and helmet. He picked the helmet and stared intently into the golden visor, he knew Carolina would be better after she worked off some steam, but that didn't lessen the blow that this whole day had delivered to everyone's moral.

Lost in thought of Carolina Maine's eyes drifted to the suit that they had fought for. There was nothing special about it, just an under suit for armor. It was worse than if there had been nothing in container, this was an insult and Maine had a feeling that was exactly what Hargrove had intended. His eyes roved over the material of the suit and fell on something curious. There were two holes on the chest of the suit, and turning it over he found a matching pair on the back. With a start he realized that this was the exact suit he was wearing when he had been pulled over the cliff. 'That means they have everything' he thought grimly.

Thinking about it now it was foolish to think otherwise. They had him and his helmet, so of course they had all his armor and enhancements. But he hadn't given it much thought, he had been too preoccupied lately, and now it seemed downright stupid to have not thought about it before now.

Maine could not dwell on it too much however, as soon the massive disappoint that was Charon's container began to emit a strange sound.

"What the fuck is happening now?" Tucker called out at the sound.

He didn't have to wait too long for as the sound suddenly stopped and then moments later every piece of equipment in the facility shut down. Everything had gone absolutely black and there were sounds of chaos erupting throughout the whole compound.

"An EMP," Wash said simply. "It was more than a distraction, it was a trap," he finished coldly.

Both Maine and Wash knew what was likely to come next although it came sooner than they would have thought. The sounds of wars erupted above them as Charon began a full out assault on the residence of Chorus.

A sense of dread washed over them, they were out-manned and outgunned. This was the beginning of the end. One way or another all their fates would be decided in the next hours.


End file.
